GuySuCo reports 23% production shortfall but hopes to meet target

Last Updated on Thursday, 10 October 2019, 16:35 by Writer

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) says it registered a 23 percent shortfall in production up to the date that the crop should have closed, largely due to bad weather and malfunctioning equipment.

At the same time, the state-owned corporation rejected claims by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees that there was a 35 percent production shortfall for the second crop.

GuySuCo says the deficit was mainly due to the late start of the second crop, but it hopes to meet the production targets for the second crop once favourable conditions prevail and the canes are harvested.

GuySuCo explains that the extended rainy season into August led to a delay in the second crop starting in the third week of that month instead of the planned last week of July.

The Corporation says the late start was compounded by problems with factory equipment on all of its locations.

Most of those factory issues have since been resolved while others are being addressed.