Uitvlugt Sugar Estate to receive excavator to conduct critical works

The Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, Region Three will receive a long boom excavator within two weeks to undertake critical infrastructural works which will increase access to the cane fields, benefitting many cane farmers.

This was announced by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a meeting with farmers at the sugar factory on Wednesday.

While responding to the concerns raised about the construction and rehabilitation of several access dams, Minister Mustapha explained that remedial works will be conducted on the access dams including Pumpkin and Tiger Dams.

“I cannot assure you that we will do the dams now…We will put it in our budget. Right now, as it stands, we will do remedial works to get the dams back in order,” the agriculture minister said.

Minister Mustapha made it pellucid that the government has not neglected the sugar sector. He said that sector is working assiduously to increase its production and profitability.

Just last Friday, $5 billion was approved for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) during the 85th Sitting of the National Assembly. 

“Over the last four years, we have given almost $43 billion to GuySuCo. We know that the sugar industry touches a lot of people in our country, directly and indirectly,” Minister Mustapha explained.

Last year, GuySuCo produced 60,000 metric tonnes of sugar, which is a significant increase compared to 47,049 metric tonnes in 2022. 

With the 8,000 employees in the sugar industry, the target for sugar production is 100,000 tonnes by the end of 2024. 

“The most important thing is to grow cane. If we don’t have the cane, we will not produce the sugar. We also have to get the yield up. We are looking at the variety and we are looking to mechanise,” Minister Mustapha underscored.

Present at the meeting were the ministry’s Director-General, Madanlall Ramraj; GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Paul Cheong; Guyana Livestock Development Authority’s (GLDA) CEO, Dr Dwight Walrond, and other technical officers of GuySuCo.