Government seems all set on the appointment of Dr. Rajendra Singh, the current Chairman of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), as the new Chief Executive Officer.Dr. Roger LuncheonChief Government spokesman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who is also Head of the Presidential Secretariat, in confirming that the administration has been mulling Singh to take the helm of the troubled industry,Authentic Atlanta Falcons Jersey, said that the New Jersey-based official has returned home to live in Guyana.“So I wouldn’t be surprised if what I said is a bit stronger than a rumour…that we may in the short term…soon…to be advised…be informed about the appointment of a CEO of GuySuCo.”He went further. “…and I am saying, do not be surprised if it were to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors of GuySuCo.”Luncheon hinted of a press statement that will be issued shortly on the matter. “I suspect that a release would soon be forthcoming that clearly identifies…that provides greater clarity about his future association which I am assured will happen (his future association, that is), with the industry.”There was no immediate word about who the new Chairman is likely to be.Earlier this week, Kaieteur News stated that Dr. Singh was tipped as the new CEO. That position is currently held by Paul Bhim.Government and GuySuCo had taken flak after it was learnt that the state-owned Corporation had been flying in the official every month from the US and paying his hotel bills.Minister of Finance,Billy Price Jersey, Dr. Ashni Singh, had defended Singh saying that he is qualified and worked in sugar for a number of years at a senior level and that he has the expertise to manage GuySuCo.Singh reportedly joined the sugar industry in Guyana in 1975 as an Industrial Relations Officer and left as a Regional Industrial Relations Manager.He reportedly has been attached to the City University of New York (CUNY) for over 20 years now.Bhim was appointed to the CEO post after Errol Hanoman, a former Booker Tate official, was let go in 2010.Bhim is now likely to be Dr. Singh’s deputy.Currently, the Deputy CEO position is held by Rajaindra Singh, a former Chairman of the Guyana Forestry Commission.Yesterday, a GuySuCo official said that there has been much confusion in the media reports over Dr. Singh and the Deputy CEO,Authentic Baltimore Ravens Jersey, Rajaindra Singh,Adam Shaheen Jersey, with even a letter appearing in the media up to yesterday. “These are two different persons though their names sound alike.”Dr. Rajendra SinghGuySuCo’s flagship Skeldon Factory, failed to take off with a number of technical problems besieging the industry.The US$200 million modernization project, was supposed to take 2012 national production levels to around 400,000 tonnes of sugar. Last year, the industry fell to 218,069 tonnes– its lowest in 20 years.Industry experts have blamed the low production on poor yields,Brett Favre Falcons Jersey, weather, industrial action, worker migration to other sectors and inefficiency.Parliamentarians have said that factories stood idle around 50 percent of the time during crops. Between 2006 and 2012, Guyana collected compensation payments from the EU of $24.7B, geared to prepare Guyana for the ending of sugar quota to Europe. There have been criticisms that all the monies did not go to the industry.This year, to fix the Skeldon factory, Government announced the hiring of Bosch Engineering, a South African company to carry our remedial works. A reported US$8M ($1.6B) was said to be budgeted for the works.At Skeldon, production last year was 33,World Baseball Classic Jerseys 2017,309 tonnes of sugar and not the 100,000 tons projected. This year’s first crop, across the country, was described as one of the worst in recent years. |