I had promised to come back to the burning issue of Guyana’s “Brown Gold”-Sugar , even as I discussed the rise of our “Yellow Gold”- Gold.
We know of sugar’s historical role in the socio-economic fortunes and development of the territory we now know as Guyana. The thousands still directly related to the country’s Sugar sector, as well as every other Guyanese and the wider trading world, now appreciate the challenges sugar faces to stay alive and profitable.
As I wrote many months ago, the Guysuco Boardroom to me, has not come to terms with the immediate challenges immediately before and after they sent the British Booker-Tate Management Team packing. It’s also manifestly obvious that the Skeldon Expansion Project – including the huge, new, trouble-prone factory, eludes management control and production, in that the most realistic and comprehensive forward-planning either was not done or was seriously flawed. No Manager or Minister can now guarantee adequate supplies of sugar cane for a factory in full flow. Even though Guysuco had four to six years to project, anticipate and plan.
It was known that the European Union would reduce and control sugar exports from around the rest of the world; known for a long time, so the objective(s) behind Skeldon were plucky – in that the cost of producing sugar was to plummet, electric power and manufacturing entities were to be powerful significant satellite enterprises. Where are the local personnel to oversee all this? So are the Indians from India really coming?
Decisions in Guysuco’s boardroom, operationalised through management, are bound to impact upon worker morale and attitudes to work and employment. Cane Harvester Basdeo is bound to share his views with his comrades at the “fo-day morning” order-line. The issues are affecting his earnings, quality of life at home; even in his bedroom!
The thousands of Basdeos know the present CEO’s super-salary; they know too that a former board chairman, Mr. Oditt, most ironically (?) exposed numerous instances of poor management, shoddy husbandry on Estates in both the East and West Coast of Demerara. In their creolesed but profound thinking, the Basdeos, Basmatties and Blackmans in the fields know of the history and contribution of sugar to Guyana’s economic existence, survival and progress and they know how powerful a political constituency they are – or can be. To some political party!
But what is to be done? For the sake of our short – and medium – term economic survival, sugar is surely too big, and vital, to fail. Skeldon has to be made good! Guysuco and Berbician private farmers have to be motivated to plant and reap thousands of acres of the best varieties of sugar cane. This is one national crisis that cries out for a hands-on oversight group comprised of government, private sector, political opposition, trade union, economics–and accountant – minded representatives.
Just days ago, in this January month, this is what Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy revealed: that the current ongoing modification works at Skeldon Sugar Factory, Corentyne, Berbice, are due to be completed in the first week of February.
During an interview with the State Media in the Ministry’s Regent Road, Georgetown boardroom last Saturday, he said the Skeldon Estate first crop for this year is expected to start later than the other estates due to the ongoing remedial work on the factory.
The South African firm, Bosch has been contracted to modify the factory and fix the problems which the Chinese – built factory has been encountering.
The factory, commissioned in 2009, was being touted as the flagship of the sugar industry but, since it became operational, there have been a number of issues affecting its efficient functioning.
This facility is vital to the survival of sugar in Guyana. Let’s check again by say May month-and 2013.
