REITERATING the government’s steadfast commitment to reopening the Rose Hall Estate, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has noted that the works on the factory are moving apace, with some 58 per cent of the works already completed.
In addition to work on the factory, other tasks on the estate’s surrounding infrastructure are also moving apace. Some 582 acres of the land have already been tilled, and 692 out of 1,038 employees have been re-employed by the estate.
“Rose Hall Estate will be open; that is a commitment of this PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic) government,” Minister Mustapha declared to the National Assembly on Monday.
The Minister was at the time responding to questions about the additional money being sought for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) as part of the $44.7 billion supplementary funding that the government was seeking from the legislature.
The supplementary budget, Financial Paper No. 1 of 2022, includes $2 billion for GuySuco’s operational expenses, and another $1.431 billion in additional resources for capital expenses.
Minister Mustapha explained that the investment of the monies is part of a recapitalisation plan in the government’s agenda to return the sugar industry to viability, given the socio-economic benefits that the estates provide.
According to the Minister, the effects of this is being seen in the revitalisation of the communities around the estate.
“Many persons in this country would have realised and would have known that that area was made a ghost town; the entire village economy in East Canje came to a halt.
And as a result of that, many persons have to leave the area. Now we’re seeing life once again in the area we are seeing economic activities under this government,” Minister Mustapha said.
The Minister explained that the investment in GuySuCo is necessary, given the dire, rundown state in which the industry was found when the PPP/C government took office in 2020.
Under the APNU+AFC administration, some 7,000 persons were placed on the breadline when the Wales, Rose Hall, East Demerara (Enmore) and Skeldon Estates were closed.
During the election campaign, the current administration, led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali committed to bringing sugar back to viability. The Rose Hall Estate has a targeted 2023 start date for grinding to commence.
Due to the closure, the once bustling Canje area, where the Rose Hall Estate is located, was reduced to a ghost town, and is only now slowly returning to some level of economic activity, with the re-employment of a number of persons.
With the opening date for the estate fast approaching, the numbers that are employed are expected to continue to grow. Many hope the community can be returned to its former glory days. (Tamica Garnett)