It is clear that the PPP has come around to the reality that sugar in Guyana as a major source of employment is unrealistic. Vice President Jagdeo in a recent interview, explained that not everyone has to go back to the sugar industry, because the oil and gas industry is here now and it pays better.
The VP also attempted to blame the APNU+AFC Government for the state of the Skeldon Sugar Factory which was one of his multi-billion dollar failures. Fact is, since its commissioning in 2010, the Skeldon Sugar Factory has never met its full capacity of 116,000 tons of sugar, while it continues to be plagued by design problems and maintenance issues.
During the 2020 General and Regional Elections the PPP had promised to reopen three estates that were closed because they were found to be the least viable because they could not meet production targets.
It has been almost two years later and not one estate has been reopened. In fact, one of the Estates that the PPP promised to reopen was the Enmore Sugar Estate. However, President Ali would have announced on the sidelines of the Energy Expo the leasing of parts of that Estate along with acres of lands to a private company to set up a ‘machine shop’.
More, In The Ring.
