Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, unveiled a significant plan to revitalize the country’s sugar industry by expanding sugar production at the Skeldon Estate in eastern Guyana, reported Caribbean National Weekly.
The plan involves allocating an additional 5,000 hectares of land for sugar cultivation, representing a substantial stride towards boosting the nation’s sugar output.
President Ali, during the commissioning ceremony for Republic Bank’s new branch in Williamsburg on Saturday, revealed plans to mechanize production on the newly designated lands. The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is spearheading this effort, having acquired new sugarcane varieties for planting. This strategic move positions GuySuCo not only to meet its 2024 production targets at the estate this year but also to achieve even greater production levels in the following year.
The announcement marks a departure from the previous government’s decision, under APNU+AFC, to close several estates, including Skeldon and Rose Hall in Berbice, Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara, and Wales on the West Bank of Demerara, shortly after assuming office in 2015. The current administration, led by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), is steering a new direction with the phased reopening of the Skeldon Sugar Estate, aiming to rejuvenate the entire sugar sector. This initiative builds upon the reopening of the Rose Hall Estate last October and the transformation of the Enmore Estate into a sugar refinery by a private investor earlier this year.
President Ali underscored the government’s commitment to the sugar industry’s workforce, emphasizing plans for training and retooling sugar workers to ensure their continued employment amid the industry’s modernization. Additionally, substantial investments are being made in the rice industry as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Guyana’s agricultural sector.
