Regional Chairman of Region Six, David Armogan has announced that the Rose Hall Sugar Estate is set to reopen in October, in keeping with the government’s commitment of revitalising the sugar industry to promote a modernised sector and ensure its sustainability.
“It was closed down in 2017. It will go back into operation in October of this year… Our region is predominantly an agricultural region so, we are heavily dependent on rice, sugar, and cash crops. We are hoping that more acreage will be opened up. We have started already,” Armogan told the Department of Public Information (DPI) in a recent interview.
The move also aligns with the government’s promise to revive the sugar industry since it contributes meaningfully to the economy, while creating employment opportunities for the residents where the estates were closed.
The government has allocated $1.195 billion to support the reopening of the estate for the second crop of 2023.
Among other necessary equipment, the money will be used to procure a semi-mechanical plant trailer, fixed spray tractors, boom sprayers, fertiliser applicators, drainage tubes, and cane punts.
Some $539 million was set aside to conduct major renovations on the Rose Hall factory.
With this investment, millers, a cane gantry component, a cane carrier, a broiler component, and scales will be rehabilitated.
A further $50 million was injected to develop the roads and structures surrounding the factory.
Since taking office, the government has expended over $10 billion on machinery and plants, repaired sugar cane fields at all factory locations, and promoted private-sector partnerships by giving cane farmers in Uitvlugt loans to increase the amount of land they can cultivate.
The administration sought to revitalise local economies by rehiring workers and providing $250,000 in cash grants to sugar workers who had been laid off.
The recapitalisation of the Albion, Uitvlugt, and Blairmont estates was further advanced by the government in 2022, and the marketing and sales mix was revised to shift from the selling of raw bulk sugar and towards packaged, advanced value-added sales.
As part of its robust food security aim, the government continues to create a strong agricultural sector that will improve livelihoods.
