Rainfall in the sugar industry

Oct 20, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

It would be interesting to learn how many, and who, in GuySuCo are familiar with such sugar industry institutions as:
• ACP – African, Caribbean, Pacific Group of States
• Sugar Division of the European Union
• WISA – West Indies Sugar Association
• Commonwealth Sugar Agreement
• Caricom Market
But more relevantly Guyana was identified as having the highest rainfall of any sugar producing country anywhere – averaging 90’ in a year. One recalls every operating estate having to religiously report every morning to the Head Office what was the volume, and the specific locations which would have been exceptionally affected, since as mentioned in the Estate Managers’ letter in SN Tuesday, October 12, cane yields could be affected.
So that it would not have been adequate information provided the reader by just referring to flooded cultivations. The more attentive, as well as decision-makers concerned, might well be interested in the differentials in the rainfall patterns on each estate, more intelligibly over the last five years, ideally during comparable crops.
On reflection, in this period of unpredictable climate change, one cannot help but wonder about the industry’s specialist agricultural capacity to research and monitor plant cane behaviours in differing fields.
In this regard one assumes that the industry continues to invest in related scholarship candidates to UG, the Guyana School of Agriculture, and indeed overseas.
Arguably in this climate change environment, attention to detail and analysis of the effects of rainfall becomes increasingly critical, given also the impact on factory productivity.
Incidentally, as recent as 2016 the industry had spent $1.2Bn on drainage and irrigation.
Hopefully however, the creative institutional memory obtaining in GuySuCo would have identified the absence of relevant skills and competencies necessary for the priority cultivation operations and included in the eventual industry strategy mentioned an articulate training and developmental plan for more attentive agronomists.

Respectfully,
E.B. John

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