–as gov’t places emphasis on production targets, Mustapha says

A ‘shakeup’ to the management of the Guyana Sugar Cooperation (GuySuCo) estates is imminent, as the government is placing emphasis on the production targets of the industry, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has said.
At a Monday press conference, Mustapha candidly expressed his dissatisfaction with the sugar corporation.

“In sugar, I want to be very objective,” Mustapha said, pointing out that the industry has seen a diminishing production of just over only 47,000 tonnes with a shortfall of 21 per cent.
While acknowledging the challenges, such as the prolonged dry season which presented extreme drought-like conditions, Mustapha believes that there is room for GuySuCo to improve its yield.
But, there must first be a shift in the management at several of the sugar estates. He noted that the government has already begun talks to move some managers around, while others maybe relived of their roles altogether.
Mustapha said: “We are already contemplating to move managers, some managers will come out of the system… so they themselves, without our intervention, have looked to assign people in the area they can perform better.”
Ultimately, the government is hoping that the GuySuCo production target should not be less than 100,000 tonnes by the end of 2025.

“I’m hoping in the new year, GuySuCo can turn around their fortune …we are hoping with all the support that we have given to GuySuCo they will ensure that they make the necessary progress that we want them to make,” the Agriculture Minister said.
Billions have been invested to revitalise the industry, with GuySuCo taking on an ambitious feat to mechanise its field operations and other aspects of its factory operations to boost production.
To assist with this, the government has employed the help of Indian and Cuban experts, sharing expertise in mechanical, technical, and electrical engineering. Experts in agronomy have also been providing assistance.
Only recently, President. Dr Irfaan Ali issued a stern warning to the management the corporation, stating that ‘heads will roll’ if the production targets are not met.

Prior to its election to office, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government had promised to revive the sugar industry and re-energise local communities devastated by the decisions of the APNU+AFC to decommission and close several grinding estates.
The President during another engagement had stated that the continued investments in GuySuCo is aimed at making the industry economically viable, but Guyanese must be reminded of the deplorable state of the sugar industry prior to the PPP/C administration.

“One must remember what we inherited when we came into office,” he had said, adding: “The fields were left abandoned, even the canals—big trees were in all the canals, all the punts were rotted. There was no dam. It was like a forest. So, we had to build back from the field, then we had to build back from all the factories.”

The Head of State urged that the sugar industry should not just be viewed as a financial product, but also from an economic perspective, citing the industry’s spin-off benefits to communities.
However, President Ali acknowledged that a major challenge lies in the ageing equipment and lack of spare parts for the sugar factories, which have caused significant downtime.

In addition to restoring the physical infrastructure, the President pointed out the need to create a new culture in the sugar industry—a culture focused on efficiency, productivity, and a sense of ownership among workers.