GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, says sugar manufacturing fell by roughly 21% in 2024,
Talking with reporters earlier this week, he stated a big administration shakeup will happen in 2025 if the Guyana Sugar Company (GuySuCo) doesn’t get its act collectively and ramp up manufacturing within the new yr.
Initially, GuySuCo had anticipated that sugar manufacturing would have ranged between 60,000 and 70,000 tons by the top of the yr. The Agriculture Minister had predicted that GuySuCo would have produced as a lot as 100,000 tons of sugar.
However 12 months later, after billions of {dollars} in funding, the Agriculture Minister admitted a disappointing yr for the sugar firm.
“The sugar manufacturing is simply over 47,000 tons. They’d have had a shortfall of about virtually extra 21%,” he stated.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, Mustapha stated that from the primary crop, the Authorities knew that manufacturing would have fallen beneath the goal.
GuySuCo produced 7,000 tons of sugar throughout the first crop, versus the projected 16,000 tons.
Mustapha stated the shortfall was because of a number of elements, together with stunted sugarcane progress and poor climate.
He additionally reiterated President Irfaan Ali’s earlier statements {that a} administration shakeup will happen within the New 12 months if GuySuCo fails to satisfy its manufacturing goal.
“Within the new yr, we are going to see some modifications within the administration of GuySuCo at numerous estates; they’re already considering shifting managers. Some managers will come out of the system,” he stated.
He stated the Authorities is dissatisfied with GuySuCo’s efficiency and must take drastic motion.
Mustapha stated it’s important for GuySuCo to cut back manufacturing prices whereas rising manufacturing.
“We would like GuySuCo to make sure that they lowered their value of manufacturing and achieved their goal. That’s the reason we’ve introduced in technical assist. We’ve got technical experience from India and Cuba working together with GuySuCo,” he stated.
In line with him, GuySuCo has assured the Authorities that it’ll speed up its mechanization program.
Presently, 40% of its land has been transformed as a part of its mechanization program, meant to reinforce its operation and manufacturing.
At the beginning of the yr, GuySuCo acquired a subvention of GUY$6 Billion. He stated that since then, it has acquired billions extra in supplementary funding, however its efficiency stays dismal.
