Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has made it clear that, despite longstanding challenges, the Government has no intention of abandoning Guyana’s sugar industry, describing it as too important to the country’s economy and rural communities.
Speaking on the Starting Point programme, Mustapha said that while reforms are necessary, sugar remains a cornerstone of national development and employment.
“We are not giving up the sugar sector,” the Minister declared, noting that $13.4 billion has been allocated in the 2026 budget to support GuySuCo’s continued restructuring and modernisation.
According to Mustapha, sugar production has already seen improvement, with output increasing by approximately 26 per cent compared to the previous year. He attributed this to changes within the corporation and renewed focus on operational efficiency.
He acknowledged that GuySuCo faces structural issues, particularly in management and labour availability, but said the Government is moving aggressively to mechanise the industry to improve productivity and reduce costs.
“We are looking to revamp and restructure the management system in GuySuCo,” he explained. “We have to reduce the cost of production. We have to cut all the waste and ensure that we run GuySuCo in a way that it can come back to profitability.”
The Minister said 41 per cent of cultivation is already mechanised, and the Government aims to push that figure to 50 per cent this year, allowing for more efficient planting and harvesting while reducing dependence on manual labour.
Mustapha stressed that sugar goes beyond economics, highlighting its social impact across communities where estates operate.
“When GuySuCo closed at Rose Hall or Wales or Enmore or Skeldon, the entire village economy died a sudden death,” he said. “When the sugar workers work, the shopkeeper gets business, the taxi driver gets business, the seamstress gets business.”
He further argued that sugar remains the largest single employer in Guyana and continues to provide essential community services, including drainage and irrigation, sporting facilities, and primary healthcare support.
While diversification remains on the table, Mustapha said the immediate priority is stabilising and strengthening sugar production before expanding into alternative crops on GuySuCo lands.
“We have to first make sugar competitive and profitable,” he said, referencing a five-year strategic plan covering 2025 to 2030 aimed at restoring the corporation’s financial viability.
“GuySuCo is too important for us to do away with,” the Minister said. “We will continue to work to ensure that we bring it back to profitability.”
