SUGAR has long been the mainstay of the Guyanese economy. Since the days of the first European colonists sugar cane has played a significant role in Guyanese life. From the scourge of slavery and the production of rum to the euphoric carnival celebrations, sugar, more particularly Demerara sugar, is synonymous with Guyana.
Our distinguished guests will address the issues of SUGAR from three different perspectives.
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The APNU+AFC government has appointed Dr Clive Thomas to be the Chairman of the ailing Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), replacing Shaik Baksh.
Dr Thomas is an economist and was recently appointed as the Presidential Adviser on sustainable development, with responsibility for economic matters and the State Asset Recovery Programme.
In the July 24 edition of the gazette, it was noted that cabinet approved the new Board of Directors for a period of one year with effect from July 01, 2015 to June 30, 2016. Continue reading →
Despite all the financial and economic problems facing the country especially with the sugar and rice industry, Guyana has an abundance of natural resources, arable land, mineral deposits, natural ports and a young and educated population to move the country forward.
With the recent discovery of oil, the economic growth potential in Guyana is very high. Despite these advantages, poverty, unemployment and crime, especially among the youths are on the rise in Guyana and the country continues to face serious economic and social challenges. Continue reading →
The non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill by this month-end would see financial hardships threatening Guyana’s economy.
This view was expressed by Nazar Mohamed, General Manager of Mohamed’s Enterprise, recently.
According to Mohamed, there is currently no shortage of foreign currency on the local market. He assured that there is no problem in customers getting money transfers or cash from commercial banks to conduct business. There may be instances where a customer would be asked to wait a day or two but there is no lengthy delay. However, a matter of concern is the hike in exchange rate for US dollar as against the Guyana dollar.
A slump in gold prices and poor performance from the sugar sector will see Guyana facing major downside risks to its growth momentum, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has said.
In its Caribbean Region Quarterly Bulletin issued last month, the bilateral lending agency said that this will lead to a lower growth forecast for 2014 at 4.3 percent. This will be below the 4.8 percent growth recorded last year. Energy cost also remains a big worry for Guyana.
Rice warehouse
Rice helped buoy the economy last year but it may not be enough to sustain it at the same level this year, IDB says..
“Further downside risks may stem from lagging investments in productive infrastructure, especially roads, ports and electricity; as the economy’s competitiveness and capacity to diversify are stymied by high energy costs, limited electrical generation capacity and poor quality of electricity service.” Continue reading →
They want to regulate sugar! Sucrose! C12H22 O11. Oh! That sweet stuff I used to suck from a piece of sugar cane which my mother had thoughtfully and lovingly peeled for me. Do you remember how they sliced away the cane peel, chopped out the two “knots” and split the clean joint into four manageable pieces by two vertical slices at right angles to each other?
A vendor near the Georgetown Ferry Stelling went one better. He would squeeze the juice out of the sugar cane stalks on a portable mill and sell the sweet, cool liquid for 8 cents a glass. I can recall the milk-colored “squeezings” oozing as he re-doubled the rinds and doubled down on his efforts for yet one more time. As a youth I often had to guide my grandparents’ age group around the city; the hospital, Post Office Building etc. Their trip would end with me accompanying them to the stelling for the beginning of their homeward trip to Leguan. My reward was a “small piece” and a glass of cane juice if the vendor was there. Continue reading →
Last week, the Honorable Minister of Agriculture revealed to Guyana that GuySuCo does not possess the competence to run the US$100M Skeldon Sugar Factory. He went on to encourage its Board of Directors to hasten the consideration of the proposals currently on the table by companies from China and India to take over the management of the failing factory.To make this admission had to be a really hard and painful decision for Minister Persaud in the face of all the propaganda and hype that the government generated around this factory that was to be the saviour of the Guyana sugar industry. After Booker Tate, the global leader in the provision of development, management and technical services to the world of sugar, ethanol, bio-energy and other agribusiness projects, had been unceremoniously dismissed by the Government, it seems rather strange that more foreign management is being sought once again for the troubled factory. Continue reading →
Coolies: How Britain Reinvented Slavery tells the astonishing and controversial story of the systematic recruitment and migration of over a million Indians to all corners of the Empire. It is a chapter in colonial history that implicates figures at the very highest level of the British establishment and has defined the demographic shape of the modern world.
Combining archive footage and historical evidence the programme includes interviews with Gandhi’s great-granddaughter, Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, about Gandhi’s campaign to end indentured labour and David Dabydeen – author and academic – whose great-grandfather was an indentured labourer in British Guyana.
OMG !!! SUGAR??? – By Ron Persaud
OMG !!! SUGAR???
By Ron Persaud – rpersaud7@tampabay.rr.com
They want to regulate sugar! Sucrose! C12 H22 O11. Oh! That sweet stuff I used to suck from a piece of sugar cane which my mother had thoughtfully and lovingly peeled for me. Do you remember how they sliced away the cane peel, chopped out the two “knots” and split the clean joint into four manageable pieces by two vertical slices at right angles to each other?
A vendor near the Georgetown Ferry Stelling went one better. He would squeeze the juice out of the sugar cane stalks on a portable mill and sell the sweet, cool liquid for 8 cents a glass. I can recall the milk-colored “squeezings” oozing as he re-doubled the rinds and doubled down on his efforts for yet one more time. As a youth I often had to guide my grandparents’ age group around the city; the hospital, Post Office Building etc. Their trip would end with me accompanying them to the stelling for the beginning of their homeward trip to Leguan. My reward was a “small piece” and a glass of cane juice if the vendor was there. Continue reading →
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