So concludes a visiting team of Indian experts from the government-owned Sugar Technology Mission.

In an interview with the Chronicle, team leader, Mr. Jewan Jyoti Bhagat said greater efficiency of those estates can be achieved without large investments. However, he noted that increasing production would take about eight to ten years because of the variables involved in achieving greater output. He said increased production is essential because production on a larger scale reduces cost.

Mr. Bhagat pointed out that bigger factories are needed to increase production and efficiency, but that would require larger volumes of sugar cane, hence the need for greater amounts of cultivation. Noting the huge land resources in Guyana, he feels that there should be relocation of factories near to the uncultivated lands as was done in India.

The quality of raw sugar being produced needs to be improved to match international standards and steps should be taken to move into refining, Mr. Bhagat urged.

Boiler pressures are also too low, he observed, but cautioned that the industry “will have to live with it for now” because of the huge investments that are required to rectify that problem.

To further increase the viability of the industry Mr. Bhagat expressed the view that the processing and utilization of by-products should be pursued, pointing out that ethanol could be processed from molasses and bagasse used for power generation.

The Indian sugar industry is among the largest in the world, comprising over 540 sugar factories producing some 18,000,000 tonnes of white sugar annually.

Mr. Bhagat is a Chemical Engineer from the state of Punjab.