Albion is situated on the Corentyne Coast in the Ancient County of Berbice, approximately 11 miles (18 km) east of the town of New Amsterdam.

The Albion Estate was established in the second half of the 19th century. The Estate lost its singleness and became known as Albion/Port Mourant Estate, following the closure of the Port Mourant Factory in 1953. The amalgamation formed the largest operating unit within the local sugar industry at that time. This facility is also recognized for its historical value of accommodating half a dozen old Cotton Estates and an abandoned Sugar Estate.

Field Operations

Management of the fields is important in order to achieve maximum cane yields. This process requires an abundant supply of water either as rainfall, irrigation, or a combination of both. At the Albion/Port Mourant Estate, water originates from the Torani Canal for the purpose of irrigation and flows into the Canje Creek, then into the Navigation Canals through the use of four (4) Pumps located at Brotherson.

Soil Type

The soils at Albion Estate include Corentyne clay, Skeldon clay, Everton clay, Vryberg clay, Whittaker clay, Haswell clay, Brandwagt clay, Whim silty clay, Tain clay, Ithaca sandy loam, and Kerkemama clay.

Cane Varieties

The main varieties of cane cultivated are DB7869 (standard variety), D9017, D7661, and D9633, which were all developed by GuySuCo. Several varieties are grown to ensure the sustainability of the crop during an outbreak of a disease. Each variety has its own characteristics to withstand diseases and drought and some varieties are early maturing compared to others.

Harvesting Process

The harvesting process is mechanical, semi-mechanical, and manual due to the layout of the fields. At present, there are English Layout (English Beds), which are long and stretches from Sideline to the Middle-Walk, Dutch Layout (Dutch Beds), which runs from Cross Canal to Cross Canal, and Converted Broad Bed Layout. Eighty-three percent (83.4%) of the Estate’s Cultivation is made up of Dutch Beds, 8.0% of English Beds, and 8.6% of converted Broad Beds.

Mechanical Harvesting entails the cane being harvested by a Billet Harvester, discharged into Cane Carts, and then loaded into trucks to be transported to the Factory. Semi-Mechanical Harvesting requires the cane to be cut and stacked/heaped, after which it is loaded into Cane Punts via Bell Loaders. Manual Harvesting requires the cane to be cut, packed into small bundles, and then loaded manually into the Cane Punts.

Transporting of Harvested Canes

Punts are mainly used to transport harvested canes from the Fields to the Factory. Trucks are also utilized on a small scale to transport cane harvested by the Mechanical Harvester (Billet).

These Punts are manufactured locally at Central Workshop at Albion/Port Mourant Estate, Corentyne. Each Punt transports an average of 6.5 MT of sugar cane per day.  The Punts are pulled by Tractors and sometimes by Water Tugs via the Navigation Channels intricately linked to the Factory.

Oxen (Bulls) are also used to haul punts through Cross Canals to the Middle-Walk where they are further connected to the Tractors and Tugs for the final journey to the Factory. At present, Albion Estate has a herd of 37 Oxen. 

Factory Capacity & Efficiency

Known as the largest sugar production centre, Albion Estate has a grinding capacity of 168 tonnes of cane per hour, and production ranges in the past between 40,000 to 60,000 tonnes of sugar. Presently, the factory produces an average of 42,000 tons of sugar annually with a projected capacity of 65,114 MT by the year 2026.

The estate currently ships bagged and packaged sugar to the Demerara Sugar Terminal for sugar to be exported to CARICOM markets.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Albion/Port Mourant Estate is the largest single employer in Region 6, providing employment for 3,407 residents from Canje to Crabwood Creek in the Upper Corentyne. In addition, communities spanning No. 1 Road on the Lower Corentyne to Bush Lot in Central Corentyne are provided with support such as drainage, provision of fresh water for agricultural usage, educational, recreational, and sporting programs among others.

Senior Management Team

Mr. Yudhisthira Mana
Estate Manager
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Mr. Bishan Dhanpat
Agriculture Manager
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Mr. Mohamed Sheriff
Factory Manager
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Mr. Shazad Chinapen
Human Resources Manager
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Ms. Marcia Peterkin
Finance Manager
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