HGP Nightly News – The Guyana Sugar Corporation is celebrating a powerful start to the 2026 First Crop, with two Berbice estates smashing their weekly production targets and signaling what officials hope will be a season of sustained momentum.
Rose Hall and Albion Estates combined to produce 2,457 tonnes of sugar for the week ending March 7, surpassing their collective target of 1,989 tonnes by a substantial 468 tonnes. The factories also posted a Tonnes Cane to Tonnes Sugar ratio of 12.53, reflecting improved efficiency in converting harvested cane into finished sugar. The numbers are particularly significant for Rose Hall.
The estate recorded its highest production figures since being reopened by the current government in 2023, a milestone that Estate Manager Threbhowan Shiwprasad attributes to a fundamental shift in how the operation runs.
“This improvement we see at Rose Hall is due to factory employees and field staff working closely as a team,” Shiwprasad said. He pointed to better communication at all levels, the delivery of clean, fresh canes to the factory, and the proactiveness of staff members as key factors driving the turnaround.
The First Crop of 2026 began just two weeks ago and is expected to run until early May. Currently, Albion, Rose Hall, and Uitvlugt are operational, with Blairmont Estates scheduled to join production in the coming week. GuySuCo acknowledged that labour shortages remain a challenge across the industry.
However, favourable weather conditions during the early weeks of the crop have supported both field harvesting and factory operations, allowing estates to capitalize on the window of opportunity. The Corporation expressed optimism that these conditions will hold through mid-May, enabling steady production as the crop progresses.
In a statement, GuySuCo commended the management, staff, and workers of Rose Hall and Albion for their dedication and teamwork, and encouraged all estates to build on the momentum.
For an industry often associated with struggle, the numbers from Berbice offer something different: evidence that with coordination, commitment, and the right conditions, the sugar sector can still deliver.
