Several components of the Skeldon sugar factory were on Saturday tested during a tour by agriculture minister Robert Persaud and a team, to ensure compliance as the factory nears completion.
According to a press release Persaud and a team comprising officials from the ministry, the Guyana Sugar Corporation, the Region Six Administration and the construction company China National Technology Import and Export Corporation saw first hand several areas of operation tested as technicians prepare for the factory’s eventual operation. “It is anticipated that the current testing exercise will be completed by April paving the way for the factory’s entire operation to be tested to ensure it has the required sugar producing capacity,” the release said.
Persaud said once the tests are completed it will allow the engineer and technical staff to plan the commissioning of the facility.
It was noted that though the factory is behind schedule the testing exercises are expected to continue and will allow “for the factory to commence operation in time for the second crop so that there would not be much output loss,” the release said.
Another area that is being addressed is ensuring that technical staff is trained to man the factory once it is commissioned. More than 30 local workers are currently undergoing technical training where they are given hands-on instruction through testing exercises. Several of these workers recently returned from abroad where they were trained at a similar facility.
The factory is part of the government’s US$200M Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project to revitalise the local sugar industry.
