-2024 production at 47,123 tonnes
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the performance of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in 2024, noting that, despite various challenges, the organization’s results fell short of expectations.
During a year-end press conference held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s office in Georgetown yesterday, he stressed that although the corporation encountered significant difficulties, including a severe drought, its production figures remained well below the government’s targets.
Mustapha revealed while answering a question posed by Stabroek News that GuySuCo’s 2024 sugar production was 47,123 tonnes, which represented a huge shortfall from the projected 70,016 tonnes. The Minister noted that the first crop of the year, which was expected to yield 62,000 tonnes, produced only 7,000 tonnes, a stark shortfall attributed to a variety of factors including stunted cane growth and significantly lower cane-to-sugar conversion rates. “Normally, it takes about 9 to 12 tonnes of cane to produce a tonne of sugar, but due to conditions this year, it required 14 to 16 tonnes per tonne of sugar,” the Minister said.
Despite the challenges, the Minister stressed that the government was not satisfied with these results and that President Irfaan Ali had made it clear that significant improvements must be made. “The President has conveyed his dissatisfaction with the performance of GuySuCo, and he made it very clear that if the target for the first crop in 2025 is not met, which should be no less than 100,000 tonnes, drastic actions will be taken,” Mustapha asserted.
Looking ahead, Mustapha outlined several initiatives aimed at improving production, efficiency, and sustainability at GuySuCo. He emphasized the importance of increasing mechanization within the sugar industry, highlighting that the manual methods currently used were insufficient to boost productivity. “We’ve brought in technical support from experts in India and Cuba who are working alongside GuySuCo’s management to help address the critical gaps in skills and machinery,” Mustapha said. “The goal is to reduce the cost of production while increasing output.”
According to the Minister, one of the main strategies to enhance GuySuCo’s performance involves implementing double-row planting methods, which aim to optimize land use and boost cane yield per hectare. Furthermore, the corporation is progressing towards shifting from semi-mechanized and manual practices to greater automation, especially in fertilization and harvesting processes. The Minister pointed out that thus far, GuySuCo has successfully converted 40% of its land to mechanization and intends to amplify these efforts in the upcoming year. Mustapha also announced that management changes would take place at several estates, with some managers being replaced as part of a reorganization initiative to ensure improved performance overall. “In the new year changes (will be made) in Management at GuySuCo at various estates, some managers will come out of the system, and change around. They themselves are looking to assign people in areas so they can perform better,” he remarked.
New mechanical harvesters are set to be introduced in the upcoming year, and experts across various fields—including electrical, agronomy, and sugar technology within the teams from India and Cuba—are now part of the support team working with GuySuCo.
“We want to see GuySuCo become more cost-efficient and more productive, and we will continue to implement the strategies necessary to achieve that,” the Minister concluded.