According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the 2017 sugar production figure will not exceed 140,000 tonnes.
This is significantly less than the 152,000 tonnes projected by government and 23% less that the 183,000 tonnes produced in 2016. The first crop figure this year was 49,600 tonnes.
In an end-of-year press statement yesterday, GAWU stated that as of December 16, 2017, sugar production for the year stood at 137,233 tonnes and is unlikely to top 140,000 tonnes since cane cutting has ceased. Such a yield would mean 2017 has produced the lowest tonnage since 1990 when 129,920 tonnes of sugar was produced.