Govt. turns to former managers of Rose Hall, Skeldon estates for “reopening”

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, yesterday visited the Rose Hall and Skeldon sugar estates that were closed by the previous administration.

He disclosed that he has since appointed the previous managers for the estates to develop an action plan to facilitate their re-openings.
It was revealed that Vishnu Panday, former Manager for the Skeldon Estate, will have a small team with him to make an assessment and formulate a plan of action.
Former Manager of the Rose Hall Estate in Canje, Aaron Dokia, will also be tasked with the same.
At Skeldon, the Minister said that: “GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) have already sent a team here and they have already supplied a detailed plan about what is needed but Mr. Panday has a lot of knowledge about this location so he can come up with at least an immediate plan of action so that we can implement it and bring back this factory to working condition.”

He further mentioned a conditional survey is being done “to know what is there and what is needed to be done. So we will take a look at the factories and take a look at the fields to assess things. We also have to bring in the cane farmers because they will contribute a lot (33%) so we will have to engage the farmers so that we can have enough cane for the factory.”
The Minister of Agriculture, who presently visiting in Berbice with senior members of his ministry and regional officials, has disclosed that “work is presently ongoing to facilitate the re-opening of the sugar estates”.

Mustapha told the gathering at Crabwood Creek that the Ministry is working daily to restore the jobs that were lost and as such President Irfaan Ali is expected to make a few announcements in that regard.
He assured that work has already commenced to getting the factories back up and running and those persons who worked with sugar industry and were dismissed can be assured that their jobs will be restored.
“Vibrancy will return again, that is the commitment,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Canje, the Minister echoed similar statements at Crabwood Creek and the Skeldon sugar factory.

He stated that added to the re-opening of Rose Hall, persons living in Canje can be assured that the government’s commitment to providing subsidies for water and electricity for pensioners, cash grants for school children, reduction in land and D&I charges.
He added that unlike other areas, “the expectations of Canje people are higher than other parts of the country and as such we are actively working to re-open those estates. We have identified a lead person at Skeldon estate who will head a team to have an action plan. Likewise in Rose Hall, the former estate manager Aaron Dokia will be leading a team there and looking to do an action plan also for Rose Hall.”
The Minister is expected to visit several areas in Black Bush Polder today.