Greater efficiency expected in 2024 at Albion Estate amid critical upgrades

…surpasses weekly target by 4%

Critical upgrades to the infrastructural and equipment components of the Albion Sugar Estate have been undertaken to ensure greater efficiency in the new year, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has positioned.
In a statement to the press on Saturday, the sugar company noted that 36 bridges were rehabilitated in order to improve access to the canes. Some of these bridges were unusable for over 12 years.
Further, 22 tractors which were down due to a shortage of spares were all repaired and 95 per cent of the field machines were re-fitted with new tyres during October to increase the availability and reliability.
Moving forward into 2024, the estate will continue to prioritise innovation and efficiency to further enhance its productivity and streamline its production process. This includes the acceleration of its mechanisation projects to ensure an increase in cane supply.

However, the Guyana Sugar Corporation reported that the Albion Estate exceeded its weekly production target by four per cent in the week ending November 11. This is the fifth time the estate has exceeded its weekly production target since grinding operations began for the second crop of 2023.
“The estate continues to remain focused on its crop target and is making all efforts to boost its overall cane supply to the factory to improve on the factory efficiency during the second crop of 2023…Favourable weather conditions in 2023 during these “El Nino” conditions have also played a major role in this estate passing this target this week.”
Estate Manager, Yudhisthira Mana expressed his satisfaction, “The successful achievement of the target for the fifth time is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and effective strategies implemented by the estate. Management is confident that with continued commitment and dedication, the estate is well-positioned to maintain its success in future crops.”
This achievement will boost the income of workers at Albion Estate, who have worked a minimum of 80 per cent of the days available for the week. This will earn them an additional day’s pay through GuySuCo’s Weekly Production Incentive (WPI) programme.
The Hydromet Office of Guyana in its November 2023 forecast has predicted below-normal rainfall for the remainder of November 2023 and these conditions are conducive to the industry harvesting the remaining canes.
With the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government having injected over $17 billion into the sugar industry and currently supporting close to 8000 workers, President Dr Irfaan Ali has reiterated that his Administration will continue to invest in the sector to bring it up to viability.
Between 2016 and 2017, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) regime closed several estates across Guyana – an action that displaced more than 7000 sugar workers, who were not only without jobs but who had no means to support their families and contribute to their village as well as the national economy.
Meanwhile, since assuming office in August 2020, the PPP/C Government has undertaken a slew of measures to revive the sugar sector and rehired some 2000 of those dismissed workers.
The PPP/C has promised in its manifesto to revive sugar and reopen these estates.
However, after it was found that the assets at Wales Estate were sold out by the previous regime, the PPP/C Government announced plans to establish a Development Authority, where several major industrial operations would be undertaken. Similarly, the Enmore Sugar Estate is also being transformed into an industrial area.