Turning around sugar industry requires collective effort – Pres Ali

In renewing his Government’s position on resuscitating the sugar industry into a booming, viable sector for the country, President Dr Irfaan Ali has voiced the need for collective responsibility on what is there to be done.
Delivering his feature address at the Enmore Martyrs Day observance on Thursday, the Head of State stressed that the survival of sugar in Guyana is leaning on support and cohesion among Government, Unions, and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

“We cannot talk about the survival of the industry without addressing the issue of modernisation. We are on the same page. We are not on two different pages. The workers, the Union, Government and the management, we want the industry to survive. We can’t fight each other for this. We have to support each other,” said Ali.
In doing so, the Head of State added that embracing measures to build and modernise the industry would lead to a thriving sector.
“We have to embrace a series of measures and plans that will support this. We have to get the fields ready so that we can have the cultivation that will push production…This is a collective effort and it calls for collective responsibility. We cannot achieve any of this if we do not take collective responsibility on what we do.”
He informed the Unions that there is no need to send separate messages to workers.
“Our narrative is clear and consistent. We don’t change our narrative and as we campaigned, we said we will bring back the sugar industry and keep the industry. Not only are we going to keep that promise, but we are also going to work hard in turning around the industry to fulfil the potential that this industry has.”
This week, the Guyanese President expressed the need for sweeping changes at GuySuCo, as he charged officials at the corporation to improve efficiency and accelerate their timelines for mechanisation on the estates.
At the meeting, an issue that was raised was the high turnover rate for field workers. But when told by estate managers from Albion and Blairmont that their plans envision a 60 per cent increase in mechanisation and the use of specialised tractors by 2026, the President noted that their time span must be slashed to 2024.
The President also tasked the senior officials to have a weekly management meeting in order to improve communication and management. He noted that the corporation will not advance if people have different visions. Additionally, he urged the senior officials to visit all of the estates and speak to all of the employees.
When the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration assumed office in August 2020, efforts were made to reopen these estates. From October 2020 to date, over 1380 persons were hired/rehired to work in the sugar industry.
Back in February of this year, GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sasenarine Singh had assured that the often cash-strapped entity will not be a burden on the Guyana Government forever. In fact, he had said that GuySuCo will be fixed within five years.
According to Singh, the organisation has a five-year strategic plan which will see the reduction of production costs and increased profits – which will eventually make the entity “cash neutral”.