Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday acknowledged that the 216,000 tonnes sugar target for 2014 which GuySuCo met was a modest one.
In a statement congratulating the sugar corporation on meeting the target, Ramsammy mounted a defence of it.
“It was not an easy target to reach given the many difficulties that GUYSUCO confronted in 2014. The calamitous drop in sugar price on the global and preferred market scene proved to be a challenge for all sugar industries. The dramatic fall in earnings and, therefore, cash flow would prove precipitous for any industry or any business. In addition, while generally rainfall was down in 2014, rain fell and affected the industry at critical times”, he stated. Ramsammy congratulated the estates that met their individual targets. “We must congratulate Blairmont, East Demerara, Uitvlugt, Albion and Rose Hall for surpassing their 2014 targets. The other estates also came very close to meeting their targets”, Ramsammy said.
He also acknowledged continuing concerns about what was meant to be the flagship of the industry, the troubled Skeldon sugar factory.
“We recognize that critics will hone in on Skeldon, given the investments we have made. But Skeldon in 2014 showed signs of finally beginning to meet expectations. We are concern(ed) that more rapid progress was not made. But we are encouraged that Skeldon has again improved in 2014”. Observers say that this is an overly rosy outlook given the continuing problems being experienced at the US$110M Skeldon factory and the fact that its originally advertised grinding capacity of 350 tonnes of cane per hour and annual output of around 117,000 tonnes of sugar will never be attained.
Ramsammy said that he was looking forward to the 2015 target being set significantly higher than the 216,000 target for 2014.
