MP calls Govt. bluff on threat to shake-up GuySuCo over poor management

Jan 29, 2025 News

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–Agri minister says no targets met in two years due to climate change

Kaieteur News- Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Vinceroy Jordan, has called the government’s bluff over its threat to shake-up the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) over poor management of the sector.

In reference to President Irfaan Ali recently announcing that he has read the riot act to the corporation’s management, Jordan said that this is the usual rant and rave of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government.

Jordan told the National Assembly, on the third day of budget debates 2025, that the citizens of Guyana should take note of all that has happened after the PPP/C-led administration recruited several teams of experts to revive the industry, leaving a hefty price tag of millions if not billions of hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars.

He detailed a number of news articles published with government officials, including the president, “reading the riot act” to the management of the sugar company.

“Sir, in August 2008 then President Bharrat Jagdeo read the riot act and I quote Kaieteur News 21^st August 2008, “President Jagdeo has stressed that the government does not intend to subsidize loss-making entities at the expense of education and health in the country.” This same person then argued against his own words when we right-sized the industry. Sad!” Jordan exclaimed.

He referenced a 2022 article published by Village Voice headlined, “President reads riot act to failing GuySuCo …. No place for CEO at the table.”

Jordan also quoted a Demerara Waves article published on December 21, 2024, which stated that, “President reads “riot act” to GuySuco’s top brass and warns “heads will roll”. That article said the President scolded the management of the loss-making and low-producing sugar company even as the entity’s new investment plan was being considered by the government.

“I’ve let them understand that we are very dissatisfied with the performance,” the president was quoted as saying.

Jordan told the National Assembly, “Mr. Speaker, let me again make it clear no heads will roll, this is the usual rail and rant, and then no action. Sir, the only heads that must roll at this time are those of the incompetent PPP/C government starting first with the incompetent Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha.”

The MP reasoned that the subject minister along with his comrades in the government should vacate office since after spending over $40B, the industry has failed to meet one target in five years. He said too that the government has also failed to reopen the Skeldon and the Demerara La Bonne Intention estates as promised.

The shadow minister told the House that “the Minister will not tell us that his government has spent over $40 billion on GuySuCo since taking office and lost over $22 billion in 2021, $7.8 billion in 2022, $ 10.2 billion and in 2023, $4.7 billion.”

Notwithstanding the failures, Jordan assured that changes would be made to the sector should the opposition return to government. He maintained that right-sizing was a step in the right direction.

“We will develop a feasible agricultural, mechanical and electrical plan for both fields and factories. The next Coalition government will modernize all sugar factories and focus on sugar processing and packaging to improve quality and marketing, keeping the Gold brand on the shelves of every supermarket across Guyana and further afield,” Jordan promised.

He reminded that “In 1976, there were 11 sugar estates in Guyana. By 2015, when the Coalition took office, there were only six sugar estates. Mr. Speaker the PPP/C closed five sugar estates between 1992 and 2015. They closed more than us!!!”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, speaking immediately after Jordan told the National Assembly that he heard Jordan’s reference to the production for 2024.

In response, he said, “Over the last few years, at least over the last two years, we have seen the impact of climate change on the industry’s performance. Although we have seen that, we have worked diligently to ensure that we take care of it. That is why we have seen low production, but I want to assure the member that what we are doing now, what GuySuCo is doing, already 40% of the land, the cultivation land have been mechanized.”

Mustapha lay blame at the feet of the former APNU+AFC administration for the state of the sugar industry.

“They (APNU+AFC) starved the corporation of funds that is why we have to spend $40B to rehabilitate the factories, to ensure that we have proper factories that can grind the cane. So, Mr. Speaker, I am very optimistic like the team from GuySuCo, that we will make the target of 101,000 metric tonnes this year.”

(MP calls Govt. bluff on threat to shake-up GuySuCo over poor management)

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• Government, GUYSUCO, management, opposition, sugar

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