Agri Minister to meet with GuySuCo, Union on low sugar production

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha is expected to meet with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU) and other stakeholders to address the low performance of the State-run industry. Following the meeting, a report will be submitted to the President Dr. Irfaan Ali to determine the way forward.

This was disclosed by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at his weekly press conference on Thursday where he was responding to comments from APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan regarding low sugar production this year.

He said GuySuCo’s “argument is that they’re doing quite a bit of cultivation to get more canes from the field and that they will increase their targets to make between 60 to 70,000 tonnes this year.”

The corporation had projected to produce 100,000 tonnes of sugar for 2024.

Jagdeo said once the meetings are completed, the Minister has to provide a “credible explanation.”

According to reports, the Corporation produced only 6,738 tonnes of sugar in the first crop against a target of 37,000 tonnes, and approximately 25,000 tonnes in the second crop, which is supposed to yield 63,000 tonnes.

However, Jagdeo is optimistic that the production will improve in the future. He said there is an ongoing attempt to reorient the sugar industry in a major way.

“The conversion of the beds to use mechanisation requires a lot of input now but will yield the benefits later. Mechanised harvesting and sowing is being done, the variety of cane they’re bringing in now and planting would have higher yields and already we’re seeing this. Some are coming in from Brazil and we’re looking at Cuba,” he told reporters.

The Vice President said GuySuCo is also affected by the quality of the factories which due to deferred maintenance and lack of capital inputs, sometimes don’t perform at peak, coupled with management issues.

He said these concerns will all be addressed during the impending meeting(s).