Indian company interested in Skeldon estate

Indian company, Srinathji Ispat Limited has expressed interest in taking over the entire Skeldon sugar estate following a visit here last month.

The company on Saturday released a letter that it sent to Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder expressing interest in the beleaguered estate whose large losses have severely affected the financial standing of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

In its letter to Holder dated January 27th, Srinathji Ispat expressed gratitude to the government for facilitating a visit by the delegation to six GuySuCo estates between January 23rd and January 26th.

“We visited the Skeldon Sugar estate on 26th January where after visiting the plant and other facilities we express our interest for taking over of the management and operations of the entire estate including sugar manufacturing and cogeneration of power divisions and to put required investment for the same”, the letter stated.

Srinathji Ispat added that it intends to apply its equity as investment in the modernisation of the plant and also for the working capital whereas the existing assets including plant and machinery would be GuySuCo’s entity.

Srinathji Ispat is said to be a 27-year-old engineering company based in New Delhi, India that has catered to sugar mills. It is said to be currently working in 12 countries in various aspects of their sugar industries.

Buffeted by a huge debt and swingeing annual losses, GuySuCo has said that it is prepared to consider a sale of the Skeldon estate. The future of the entire sugar industry is the subject of talks at the moment between the government and the opposition and the sugar unions in the industry.

On Friday, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said that the government will review and consider all proposals put forward by the opposition PPP/C, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees to determine the way forward for GuySuCo.

Ramjattan gave the assurance when the government continued its consultations with stakeholders at the Ministry of Agriculture, according to a Ministry of the Presidency statement.

At the meeting, the statement said, it was decided that the proposals from the stakeholders will be provided by February 17th, 2017 for review and consideration.

The government has another expression of interest for Skeldon from the Trinidadian company D Rampersad and Company Limited (DRCL).

A MoU was signed with the company through the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) to conduct a feasibility study “for an integrated sugar processing facility for GuySuCo’s assets and related assets in Skeldon, Guyana.”

According to the MoU seen by this newspaper, Go-Invest would facilitate meetings and discussions with DCRL and Government of Guyana ministers and agencies.

The company’s objectives under the MoU include; the cultivation and harvesting of sugarcane, sugarcane processing, production of fuel grade ethanol, production of bulk rum for local, regional and international markets, power production from bagasse, production of high test molasses, construction of a liquid bulk terminal and the development of a solar power generation facility.

Another objective of the company is: “To receive the requisite data and information support from Go-Invest and the relevant ministries and agencies in Guyana that will facilitate an effective assessment of the opportunities and factors that are relevant to the preparation of a definitive project proposal to the GoG.”

Skeldon estate was meant to be a lynchpin of the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Programme but its output has been disastrous and the cost of production has been astronomical. The former PPP/C government and the Chinese contractor have been pilloried over the way the project turned out. The cost of the project was projected to be around US$200m.