AFTER dismantling the agricultural sector with its unsound policies, the opposition has once again returned to its repetitive promise that it will better the sugar industry if elected.
During a press conference on Friday, the People’s National Congress-Reform (PNC-R) attempted to chastise the current government for its management of the industries within the agricultural sector.

This, in spite of the PNC and the Alliance For Change (AFC) having a track record in office that is marked by the lack of investment in the agricultural sector, the closure of several sugar estates, the neglect of drainage and irrigation systems and Value Added Tax (VAT) on essentials for farmers.

Elson Low, an economist associated with the PNC-R, during the press conference, claimed that the previous coalition administration managed the sugar industry better than the current government, despite the fact that thousands of sugar workers lost their livelihoods as a result of the APNU+AFC shutting down several estates.

He said: “…What we would say, however, is that we believe that GuySuco needs to be revitalised and diversified, and that we believe that there’s a role for GuySuco workers going forward in the Guyanese economy, and we will do what we can to ensure that there are, first of all, jobs available, and second of all, the [sic] GuySuco itself really prospers.”

Despite the sugar industry being one of the main traditional sectors, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco) has endured numerous attacks from the opposition over the years, even being referred to as a “blackhole.”

The opposition’s promise of bettering the sugar industry is not new: in 2015, the APNU+AFC was singing the same tune, but when the coalition assumed governance, the sugar industry and the agricultural sector, overall, took a steep turn.

In 2017, the coalition government announced the closure of several sugar estates across the country, leaving thousands of people without jobs or sources of income. The move saw four sugar estates being closed and over 7,000 sugar workers losing their jobs.

Contrary to what the opposition has claimed, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration has delivered on its promise to revive Guyana’s sugar industry, which had suffered greatly under the previous APNU+AFC administration. Since taking office in 2020, the industry has seen the restoration of over 4,600 jobs.

This was disclosed by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, during his presentation of the milestone 2024 budget to the National Assembly earlier this year.

Further, there have been notable initiatives undertaken by the government to enhance the agricultural sector, such as the building of 75 new shade houses for high-value crops, according to the mid-year report.

Additionally, in the sugar industry, over 2000 hectares of land was converted to cultivate and harvest sugar cane at the Rose Hall, Albion, Blairmont, and Uitvlugt Estates.
A sugar dryer budgeted at $60 million will be installed by the end of the year. This will enhance the quality of the sugar and guarantee increased production within the industry.
Additionally, by the end of the year, the number of employees within the sugar industry is expected to increase to 8,300 persons.

PRODUCTIVE
Low claimed that from his recollection, rice production was doing well under the coalition. However, owing to the policies by the previous administration, a challenging environment for farmers was created since there was VAT on electricity, farmers being required to pay increased land and drainage and irrigation fees, especially the Region five (Mahaica-Berbice) farmers, etc.
Adding to this, former President David Granger had once stated that the rice industry is mostly private business and not the government’s problem.

“There are problems within the rice industry, which are not to be blamed on the government. It’s a private enterprise largely… take a look at the internal dynamics of the industry and you will discover that it is a miller-farmer problem, not a government-rice problem,” the former President stated in 2015 when rice farmers were protesting for non-payment for their rice.
Under the PPP/C administration, the agricultural sector is at the forefront of technological advancement, with drones and data leading the charge towards a more efficient, sustainable, and productive future for rice farming.

Also, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) had stated that it is already surpassing its half-year target for 2024 due to the steadfast implementation of additional strategies and programmes within the Ministry of Agriculture.

This was revealed in August by Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. During the first quarter of this year, the GRDB reported that over 360,000 tonnes of rice has been produced, according to the minister.

Additionally, between 2020 and 2024 (first crop), the rice yield has increased from 5.9 tonnes per hectare to approximately 6.6 tonnes per hectare.
It means that a farmer in 2020 harvested 38 bags of rice per acre and in 2024 is getting 41 bags per acre.

“This came about because of the investment that the government has been making in the agricultural sector, especially in the rice industry,” the agriculture minister stressed.
Over the last four years, farmers have witnessed almost nine high-yielding rice varieties being released for commercial production, which have since boosted rice productivity and sustainability.
The latest variety of rice to be launched was the biofortified rice. It was launched last year during the Agri Investment Forum and Expo, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). This high-yielding rice attracts preferential prices within the market.