Government to keep only three sugar estates

The story of how the once mighty sugar industry has fallen was told to the National Assembly, Monday, by Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder. This was as Holder delivered inevitable news that the industry will be further scaled down.

Amidst questions like “What will happen to the workers?” and “Is this the good life?” Holder announced that of six estates, only three will remain open. The Minister of Agriculture emphasized that this is necessary for the sugar industry to survive. The Minister told the House that Government is cognizant of the invaluable contributions of the sugar industry over the years. He said that the administration will not allow the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to die from preventable causes. He said, however, that the government simply cannot let GuySuCo continue to utilize “a business model that is based on waste, inefficiency and hopelessness, ultimately leading to its undoing.”Holder said that the future of the industry is considered to lie in a smaller sugar sector. He said that this will result in reduced losses and cash deficits coupled with a separate and profitable diversified enterprise which would ensure a viable future. The Parliamentarian said that focus on the poorly-performing estates should shift from sugar to diversification. When the sugar industry was nationalized between 1975 and 1976, there were 11 sugar plantations countrywide. The 11 estates were located at Leonora, Uitvlugt, Wales, Diamond, Enmore, La Bonne Intention, Ogle, Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall and Skeldon. Years later, this was reduced to six. Minister Holder said that the proposed course of action is to merge Wales Estate with Uitvlugt Estate and reassign its cane to the Uitvlugt factory, “since the estate (Wales) is operating at 50 percent capacity; 60 percent of its drainage and irrigation infrastructure is in a dilapidated condition”.

(Kaieteurnews.com)