See below for full statement from GuySuCo:
High resilience among Sugar workers and Government of Guyana’s interventions at the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) three operating estates proved to be the right mix as workers defied all odds, shattering several production targets for the week ending March 12, 2021.
At the Uitvlugt Estate, the Corporation’s lone operating estate in Demerara, workers were extremely jubilant as they achieved 1,006.6 Metric Tonnes (MT) of sugar, surpassing the weeks’ production target for the second week of complete grinding at the factory since the commencement of the 1st crop 2021. During the initial days of the 1st crop, 2021, GuySuCo’s engineering corps along with all factory team members worked diligently to rectify major defects observed during the pre-crop factory trials also known as steam trials. This week, the Uitvlugt factory recorded a total of 125 grinding hours, a significantly improvement compared to 116 the previous week. At Uitvlugt, the factory is expected to grind for 130-135 hours per week.
So far, the Uitvlugt Estate has harvest a total of 416 hectares (42% of which was provided by private farmers). Both the private and the Estate uses semi mechanical and manual harvesting techniques to harvest more than 28,000 Metric Tonnes of Cane to produce 2,068 Metric Tonnes sugar over a period of just over two weeks.
As a result of the improved efficiency of factory operations, sugar productivity levels continue to climb steadily from approximately 14.5 tonnes cane per tonnes sugar (TCTS) and has reach an average of 12.97 TCTS which closed yesterday at 12.05 TCTS. The Estate has more efficient managed its cane transport route and factory operation in 2021 compared to 2020 which directly contributed to this improved performance.
Notable improvements pertaining to the factory’s operations this crop include: increase power generation due repairs in the power house, a better mix of bagasse/fossil fuel usage contributing to reduction in cost, better quality of sugar cane harvested because of the strategy in the industry to go back to the basics in the agronomical practices and getting the nutrients for the plant on time, less extraneous matter as a result of repairs to cane dumper area conducted prior to crop, better quality sugar crystals due to repairs completed at the crystallizers and a new boiler chimney which is allowing better combustion and better performance in the boilers and more consistent steam generation on the Estate.
As at week ending March 12, 2021, the hectares harvested by private farmers of Region #3 totaled 174; this represents an increase of over 100% when compared with the same two-week period last year.
After a dismal 2020, Mr. Yudhisthira Mana, Estate Manager of Uitvlugt Estate, attributes the improvement in the Estate’s productivity in 2021 to the workers’ resilience, injection of over $50M towards factory repairs conducted prior to commencement of the 1st Crop 2021 and most importantly the continued confidence of the private farmers in the ability of the Estate’s management to produce sugar of the highest quality.
As for a comment on this Estate’s performance, the Chief Executive Officer Mr. Sasenarine Singh commended not only Uitvlugt, but also all the Estates for their resilience, resourcefulness and resolves to sweat the assets to create greater value opportunities from the moneys invested in the process. He thank the Team on all the Estates for pushing the sale of package sugar as the industry shift it’s sales mix from a greater push for the sale of the value added package sugar.
On March 11, 2021, all three operating estates: Albion, Blairmont and Albion, were able to produce collectively a total of 710 MT of sugar, which is the highest performance of the year, and outstrip the daily performance in 2020.
