Funds being expended on Rose Hall Estate in economical, cost-effective manner

Dear Editor,
The Management of Rose Hall Sugar Estate is obligated to respond to an article captioned ‘Rose Hall Estate workers complain of substituting old parts to fix machines’, published on January 29th, 2024.
As the Estate Manager, I take this opportunity to first set the records straight regarding the operability of our current fleet of tractors. The Rose Hall Estate procured six (6) 6190 John Deere tractors in 2023, of which one is currently down. Therefore, the statements “Four new state-of-the-art tractors are down” and “Three of the four tractors not working right now” are incorrect.
Regarding the maintenance of tractors, only one (1) required fuel pump repairs, and that vehicle is now back in operation. The tractor that is currently down is undergoing maintenance for worn 4-wheel-drive clutch discs, of which eight (8) are needed. This problem was diagnosed on 22nd January, 2024, and efforts were made to procure those from GENEQUIP on 23rd January, 2024. This supplier has advised that only five (5) of these discs are currently in stock, and the additional stock would be available in another three (3) weeks.
GENEQUIP is the OEM agent for John Deere tractors in Guyana.
Secondly, the Rose Hall Estate has one (1) new long boom excavator (210 LC) which is fully operational, and at no time was this machine “cannibalised or has fuel pump defect”, as stated in the article. Contrary to what was reported, due to the extensive volume of work on the field, another excavator was transferred from Skeldon Estate to Rose Hall Estate. This machine was serviced, and is currently being utilised. However, the image displayed in the article is actually an old excavator on the Estate, which is beyond repair.
The management of Rose Hall Estate refutes the statements made in the article as not accurate, and assures all Guyana that funds expended on the Rose Hall Estate project are being so done in the most economical and cost-effective manner. Our aim is to ensure the Estate is fully functional, and can contribute positively to Guyana’s economy.

Yours truly,
Vijay Gobardhan
Estate Manager