As the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) proceeds with the closure of estates around the country as part of the plan to scale down its operations, the company has developed a sustainable development programme to ease the impact on affected sugar-dependent communities and an alternative livelihood initiative for workers who will be retrenched.
According to a report prepared for the company’s board on the two interventions, it became apparent from its economic and social challenges that sugar-dependent communities are vulnerable and susceptible to the pressures that are faced in the industry.
“This challenge in the sugar industry has created an opportunity for implementing a programme that is structured and in a systematic way, to engage these sugar-dependent communities mentioned, to transition from depending primarily on sugar, to becoming more economically, socially and environmentally resilient,” the report, which has not been released but was seen by Stabroek News, says.
