Uitvlugt Estate is situated on the West Coast of the Demerara River approximately 29 kilometers from Georgetown, beginning at Cornelia Ida and ending at Boeraserie on the West Coast of Demerara.

History

Plantation Ignatius Charles Bourda Uitvlugt (ICBU), currently known as Uitvlugt Estate, was named after a Dutch Planter, Ignatius Charles Bourda Uitvlugt. During the Dutch colonial period, this Planter was the original owner of what was then a plantation.

Field Operations

Uitvlugt comprises 6,005.9 hectares of agricultural land. Presently, the Estate has 1,650 hectares (50%) cane cultivation and 3,303 hectares leased to Private Cane farmers.

The Estate is completely gravity drained through 138,186 meters of Sidelines with two re-circulation pumps situated at Zeeburg and De Willem villages on the West Coast of Demerara. The pumps are operated to accommodate high rainfall periods to supplement gravity drainage. Sourcing water for the fields is affected from 651,121 meters of irrigation/navigational waterway from the Boeraserie Conservancy.

Cane Varieties

Growing the right cane varieties positively impacts the Estate’s productivity. At Uitvlugt Estate a number of varieties are identified as high yielding, each having its own characteristics to withstand diseases and drought. Some of the varieties utilized are: DB 9314, DB 75159, D9824, D98239, DB99590, DB9633 and D7661. 

Factory Capacity and Efficiency

Factory operations at Uitvlugt Estate commenced in 1871. It was later acquired by the Demerara Company in 1921, and subsequently by Jessels.  In January 1981 Uitvlugt was merged with Leonora Estate.  This factory has the capacity of producing 32,000 MT of Sugar annually.

Harvesting Process

Harvesting is undertaken by semi-mechanised and manual processes due to the layout of the Fields.  At present there is the English Layout (English Beds), running from Sideline to Middle-Walk of the fields. Then the  Dutch Layout (Dutch Beds) runs from Cross Canal to Cross Canal and the Broad beds Layout run from Sideline to Middle Walk. Forty-one percent (41%) of the Estate’s cultivation is made up of Broad Beds, 34% Dutch Beds and 25% English Beds.

Semi-Mechanical Harvesting requires the cane to be cut and stacked, and then loaded into Cane Punts via Bell Loaders. Manual Harvesting, is where the cane is cut, packed into small bundles and loaded manually into the Cane Punts by field workers.

Transporting of Harvested Canes

Punts are mainly used to transport harvested sugarcanes from the fields to the factory.

These punts are manufactured locally at the Central Work Shop at Albion/Port Mourant Estate, Corentyne. Each punt transports an average of 5.75 MT of sugarcanes per day.  The punts are pulled by tractors during the dry season and by water tugs during the wet season via the navigation channels 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 tractors and Tugs for the final journey to the Factory.

Water Management

Drainage is facilitated by sluices and is provided to the villages of Cornelia Ida, Anna Catherina, Edinburg, Groenveldt, Leonora, Stewartville, Uitvlugt, Zeeburg, De Willem, Meten-Meer-Zorg, De Kenderen and Boeraserie. These villages are directly drained by the sluices which are maintained by the Estate.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Uitvlugt Estate is the only operable Sugar Estate in Demerara and the largest single employer in Region #3, providing employment to persons on the entire West Coast and West Bank from Parika on the West Coast to Wales on the West Bank. In addition, emergency services such as Ambulatory and Fire Services are also provided for the residents in the communities. Other community services include: Health care to employees and the community at large, apprenticeship training for students who completed secondary education with various skills preparing them for employment in GuySuCo among other services.

Senior Management Team

Mr. Hutton Griffith
Estate Manager
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Mr. Mohendranauth Budhram
Agriculture Manager
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Mr. Malcolm Henry
Factory Manager
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Mr. Dexter Williams
Human Resources Manager
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Mr. Satish Ramasar
Finance Manager
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