Sugar crop slides 35% behind schedule

Oct 05, 2019 News

---

Unions have expressed alarm about current production levels of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), along with the National Association of Agricultural and Commercial Industrial Employees (NAACIE), their representatives met with GuySuCo official on Tuesday.
The union said it was “most worried when it learnt that the ongoing 2019 second crop is, at this time, very much behind the corporation’s production schedule. At this time, the industry is in the 7th week of the 18-week scheduled second crop.”
The unions said that they learnt that as at September 28, the Corporation’s aggregate second crop production reached 21,869 tonnes sugar.
“In keeping with the production schedule, sugar production ought to have reached 33,892 tonnes. Thus, GuySuCo, at that time, was in a deficit of 12,023 tonnes or was nearly 35 percent below its anticipated production.”

 

 

At Albion Estate, in East Berbice, GAWU said it learnt since the commencement of the crop, the factory has been plagued by several breakdowns.
“Information reached the union (which) indicates that nearly a week of operations, so far, has been lost to various maladies that brought the factory’s operations to a halt. We understand that the issues that popped up are not in a particular section but have appeared in many of the various areas.”
According to the unions, it is indeed regrettable that just a few weeks after the crop’s commencement such issues are appearing recognising that maintenance would have been conducted during the out-of-crop period.

“In one instance, a breakdown resulted after one of the wire ropes that hoists cane into the factory burst. This issue, we heard, was drawn to the management’s attention by the workers. Astoundingly, if our information is indeed correct, senior personnel of the estate told the workers to leave the rope and they would deal with the consequences later. Dishearteningly, what the workers warned happened not too long after they raised their concern.”
At Blairmont, the unions said, the factory had defective components, which are contributing to sugar losses.
“Again the workers, through their shop stewards, have raised their concern with the management which apparently is hamstrung from really alleviating the issue. Again, it brings into contention what was really done during the out-of-crop maintenance period.
“At Blairmont, too, the workers have expressed concern about the quality of canes available for harvesting. They have shared with the GAWU that cane yields were below estimates. This they lamented is one of the chief reasons for the lagging production at the estate.”
At Uitvlugt, while the estate, over the last two weeks, has managed to surpass its weekly production target, it still continues to experience difficulties with the factory.
“For the last few crops, the Uitvlugt factory has been plagued by several problems. Extensive works which are said to be executed during the out-of-crop period, it seems, are not effective and we wonder whether there is need for closer examination.”
The unions complained that the corporation when confronted with the situation will almost instinctively point out that its capital programme has been hamstrung by lack of finances.
“But, on this score, the GAWU cannot help but wonder about the utilization of the proceeds from the $30B bond? As far as we can recollect, it was intended to address this matter.
“We understand that notwithstanding public pronouncements that the apparent rift between NICIL-SPU and GuySuCo was being healed, the reality is that the chasms persist.”
“In fact, GuySuCo disclosed that its punt rehabilitation programme is being held up as NICIL-SPU is refusing to release funds to purchase the steel required.”
The unions said that the sugar industry is being conveniently, or maybe willfully, ignored by the powers-that-be.
“There is now, with urgent need, a necessity to arrest the situation. The sugar industry has all the tools to succeed. We need to properly marshal the industry’s resources, know-how and most of all its workers to ensure its success. Of course, we hasten to point out that the industry’s turnaround cannot be delinked from a motivated workforce which in this day and age is working for rates-of-pay last adjusted in 2014.”
Since coming to office in 2015, the Coalition Government has carried out an inquiry into the sugar industry and closed four estates, which it said were draining the economy.
Almost 7,000 workers were sent home.
GuySuCo, once producing over 200,000 tonnes per annum, is producing 100,000 tonnes now.
The situation has become a political hot-potato issue with the Opposition’s base concentrated in sugar producing communities.

 

 

 

---

---