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Skeldon Estate GM Panday resigns – source

Vishnu Panday, who was appointed by GuySuCo as Point Person/General Manager of the Skeldon Estate has since tendered his resignation, a source confirmed last evening to Stabroek News.

According to information gathered, Panday offered his resignation several weeks ago. Efforts by Stabroek News to contact Panday last evening for comment proved futile.

The resignation may signal early problems in the PPP/C government’s plans to revive the Skeldon factory which analysts  have said is not feasible.

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@Totaram posted:

According to Zulfikar Mustapha, GUSUCO is producing sugar at a cost of twice the price at which it is sold.  The PPP knew this when they traded a promise to reopen the estates for the votes of some chupidee collies.  Both sides of that contract now have to deal with the problem.  Chupidness na gat cure.

Sase Singh working on reviving GUYSUCO

V
@Totaram posted:

According to Zulfikar Mustapha, GUSUCO is producing sugar at a cost of twice the price at which it is sold.  The PPP knew this when they traded a promise to reopen the estates for the votes of some chupidee collies.  Both sides of that contract now have to deal with the problem. 

'Chupidness na gat cure' is your favourite saying, huh? Obviously because you're incurable! Hahahahahahaha........

FM

GuySuCo’s debt at $72.5b up to August 2020 – Mustapha

-cost of production nearly double world market price

Zulfikar Mustapha

December 24 ,2020

Source

As of August 31, 2020 the total indebtedness of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was $72.5b and its cost of production was above the price of all markets it sold into.

This was disclosed in parliament yesterday when Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha answered questions in writing in the name of APNU+AFC MP Jermaine Figueira.

To the question from Figueira of how much direct assistance had been  provided to the corporation over the last ten years ending in August 2020, Mustapha said the figure was $20b for 2010 to 2014 but he was unable to say what the figure was for 2015 to July, 2020.

Jermaine Figueira

Referring to the latter period, he said β€œThis was a murky period of which we are uncertain about since NICIL (National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited) and SPU (Special Purpose Unit of NICIL)  and other agencies would have received and collected monies that is not reflected in the records”.

As to the question of the cost in US$ for GuySuCo to produce a tonne of sugar for each year between 2010 and 2020, Mustapha listed the average cost per metric tonne annually for the last 10 years as US$747.38.

This figure would translate into 33 US cents per pound. The world market price for sugar currently hovers between US 14 cents and 18 cents per pound, underlying that Guyana remains a high cost producer of sugar.

While Guyana is producing sugar at US$747.38 per tonne, it has not gotten a price higher than this in any market in which it has sold the sweetener. This essentially means it is selling at a loss in all of these markets though it is gathering foreign exchange.

Figueira asked Mustapha what was the world market price for a tonne of sugar in US$ in the last 10 years and the price per tonne received from its overseas customers.

Mustapha’s reply was that the average  world market price for sugar over the last decade was US$$388.57. He listed the price per tonne received from the following markets as follows: European Union (US$445.23), US (US$593.05), CARICOM (US$581.30), regional non-CARICOM states (US$741.04), Australia (US$623.90), Italy (US$488.27), the Middle East (US$708.24), UK (US$540.05).

On the question of what percentage of GuySuCo’s income was taken up by the employment cost and debt servicing in the period 2010 to 2020, Mustapha said the employment cost took 71% and debt servicing 2.5%.

In relation to the question of GuySuCo’s total indebtedness, including all bank loans and arrears to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Mustapha listed the figure as $72.5b.

The Minister noted that the cost of production of sugar must take account of contributions that the corporation was making in relation to drainage and irrigation for surrounding communities, rice and other crops as well as residential areas. He also cited community health care services and sports facilities though a number of these functions were hived off from GuySuCo under the APNU+AFC government.

Mustapha added β€œIt’s also very important to note that over the last three years, the former government placed more than seven thousand…sugar workers on the breadline and this (caused) severe disruptions in their families and killed the village economies in the areas of the closed estates”.

He also said that a large percentage of the $72.5b debt is owed to the GRA and  NIS. He also cited the $30b borrowed by GuySuCo/NICIL/SPU and said that the whereabouts of this loan is not clear to the corporation.

β€œHopefully, the Auditor General’s Office will bring some clarity to this matter”, Mustapha said.

Django
@Mitwah posted:

Can he produce it for 7 to 10 US cents per pound? He would be lucky to get 14cents US per pound in the world market.

Post mortem can't bring back the dead.

The PPP preparing Sase for the fall and blame him, when the sugar estate don't produce. But he rass to dumb to know how crooked the Jagdeo PPP has become.

Dum as coolie man who could be, he could not even dialogue properly on this forum. 

Tola
@Tola posted:

The PPP preparing Sase for the fall and blame him, when the sugar estate don't produce. But he rass to dumb to know how crooked the Jagdeo PPP has become.

Dum as coolie man who could be, he could not even dialogue properly on this forum.

The dumbest coolie is smarter than ANY self-centered N who can only think racially!

FM
Last edited by Former Member
@Former Member posted:

My detestable Ramgoat, hyenas are African, like you! And chupit or chupidness seem to be your best insult from your questionable vocabulary! How sad!

My vocabulary is just fine.  Yours is at best very silly.  Chupidness is used to describe utterly incomprehensible logic .  You are quite frequently guilty of such "logic".  BTW, questionable vocabulary cannot possibly be a proper phrase.  One may use "limited vocabulary" but not questionable vocabulary.  What is questionable is your sanity. 

T
@Totaram posted:

My vocabulary is just fine.  Yours is at best very silly.  Chupidness is used to describe utterly incomprehensible logic .  You are quite frequently guilty of such "logic".  BTW, questionable vocabulary cannot possibly be a proper phrase.  One may use "limited vocabulary" but not questionable vocabulary.  What is questionable is your sanity.

Sh*t! Now de Ramgoat is kwesshunin mah uze uv de Inglish langwidge! Tell mih, who appintid yu as de arbitur of mah uze uv de Inglish langwidge, eh? Anudder Ramgoat?  Questionable is an adverb true enough, according to the OED, doubtfully true, not clearly consistent with honesty or honour or wisdom, three traits that Ns lack!  I choose to use it because I've observed your deficiencies! Is that okay, N? Naow attuk mih agin! Uh, iz chupidness in the OED, perfessur of ignurance?

FM
Last edited by Former Member
@Former Member posted:

Sh*t! Now de Ramgoat is kwesshunin mah uze uv de Inglish langwidge! Tell mih, who appintid yu as de arbitur of mah uze uv de Inglish langwidge, eh? Anudder Ramgoat?  Questionable is an adverb true enough, according to the OED, doubtfully true, not clearly consistent with honesty or honour or wisdom, three traits that Ns lack!  I choose to use it because I've observed your deficiencies! Is that okay, N? Naow attuk mih agin! Uh, iz chupidness in the OED, perfessur of ignurance?

This is truly incomprehensible!  Your insanity has been confirmed. 

T
@Totaram posted:

My vocabulary is just fine.  Yours is at best very silly.  Chupidness is used to describe utterly incomprehensible logic .  You are quite frequently guilty of such "logic".  BTW, questionable vocabulary cannot possibly be a proper phrase.  One may use "limited vocabulary" but not questionable vocabulary.  What is questionable is your sanity.

You can use a word made up by you and other stupid Ns, but I can't use an adverb the way I want to, huh? Typical arrogance of ignorant self-centered Ns! Your made-up word is NOT in the Oxford English Dictionary! Too chupid! N! Hahahahahahaha........

FM

Jagdeo's PPP will say anything to get votes from desperate, struggling people! Now the fun starts! The oil money will keep the sugar industry alive, though dead! The Guyanese people will have to pay world price! The writing was on the wall ever since Booker-McConnelll abandoned sugar!

Yuh need mo likker distillereez!

FM
Last edited by Former Member
@Prashad posted:

Wasn't Dave Kumar the GM of Sheldon?

Embattled estate manager was spoken to about behaviour, says Armogan


Region Six Chairman, Mr. David Armogan, has said that embattled Skeldon Estate Manager, Dev Kumar, was

David Armogan

David Armogan

spoken to by his Administration in Region Six about his poor behaviour. Now he believes Kumar has regretted his horrible behaviours’.
Armogan was addressing the issue as well as the poor performance of the Skeldon Sugar Factory during the last crop at his annual Press Conference at the Boardroom of the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), Fort Canje, Berbice.
β€œI think he (Kumar) has regretted to some extent, those incidents,” Armogan added. β€œI don’t know if people are targeting him, but he has been in the news for quite some time for behaviour that is not worthwhile,” he added.
Armogan said that the Region Six Administration as well as officials of Central Government spoke to the errant manager.
Kumar is currently on leave overseas, as is customary for Estate Managers during the out-of-crop period.  β€œHe would normally go on leave at the end of the cropβ€”most of these managers would go on leave during the out-of-crop periods,” he added.
Kumar, last November, was arrested by a police patrol on the Corriverton Public road while he was urinating in the centre of the thoroughfare.
According to a reliable source, Kumar and some other senior Managers were at the Grill Night Spot at Corriverton and got into some altercations. The man left the night club, boarded the estate vehicle PPP 6414 along with the Agriculture Manager and proceeded to drive along the road.
He stopped a few doors from the Republic Bank at Corriverton and urinated in the middle of the road. When he was rebuked he became abusive.
Then in December, he was arrested and locked up after he openly abused and challenged, chucked and threatened the police officers who had intervened. The police were conducting patrols in the Corriverton area.  Kumar, who was reportedly in a drunken state, was being driven in a Guysuco vehicle when it was stopped by ranks on patrol.  The Manager immediately became abusive.
Also in December, Kumar was accused of accosting a female bar owner and hurling abuses at businessmen during a drunken rage at Rita’s Shop, at Number 78 Village, Corriverton. Kumar, who was clearly inebriated, reportedly came in and became incensed when he saw the bar owner hanging out with the group.
Using a series of expletives, he reportedly went over to the money-changer and accosted him.
He was warned to behave.
Armogan said that he does not believe the poor performance of Skeldon Estate is as a result of the errant manager. β€œBut I know there was a strike at Skeldon Estate as a result of the altercation between the Manager and a worker , and that too might have led to the underproduction because it was prolonged for a week,” he added.
Kumar was spoken to, he added. β€œHe did say that some of the things that were said were as a result of people trying to get at him.”
Skeldon’s poor performance
Skeldon sugar factory again, recorded one of the worst performances of all the four Berbice estates. Skeldon, the newest factory in the country was only commissioned in 2009. It fell behind the target by 5,449 tonnes, closing with 21,813 tonnes for the second crop.
However, it used cane that would have produced more than twice that volume of sugar. Armogan said that in normal circumstances it would take 12 tonnes of cane to make one tonne of sugar. β€œIn the case of Skeldon Estate, it took sometimes 20 tonnes of cane to make one tonne of sugar, so they had some serious problems in regard to extractions and factory problemsβ€”mechanical problems.”
Albion was the estate with the highest production surpassing the target of 33,516 tonnes by some 681 tonnes.
He added that he does not believe it is a problem of low production of canes, β€œbecause if you take the same amount of cane and give it to Albion (Estate), you probably would have made more sugar, because Albion (Estate) TCTS average has been about 11.5 to 12, whereas in Skeldon (Estate), it is about 15 and 20.”
Even Rose Hall did better, recording 22,214 tonnes, or 808 tonnes above the target set for this last crop of the year. Blairmont also surpassed its target of 20,560 tonnes, ending the crop with 22,723 tonnes.
The Regional Chairman stated that inasmuch as Skeldon utilized more cane, it has not been able to make the predicted amounts of sugar, he added. This is simply because of the high Tonne of Cane per Tonne of Sugar (TCTS), β€œand poor extractionβ€”it takes so much cane to make so much sugar.”

Tola

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