PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has signalled imminent management changes and a technical overhaul at underperforming Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) estates.
Responding to a question on sugar during a recent press engagement, the President confirmed that concrete steps will be taken to address poor performance within the State-owned sugar corporation.
“You will see the action,” he said when asked whether there were any new updates on GuySuCo, given his previous warning of management changes in the event of underperformance in production.
RATIONALISATION AT SENIOR LEVELS
Dr Ali made it clear that the focus will be on estates that have consistently failed to deliver, with particular attention on top-level leadership.
“You’ll definitely see action on some of these estates that have not performed. They must be, especially at the senior management level and the head office at these places, the estates there need to be some rationalisation,” he stated.
Beyond management changes, Dr Ali said government is preparing to deploy specialist support to boost GuySuCo’s technical capacity and avoid operational gaps.
“If it is need for greater technical input, we have a team of technicians that we’re talking to; managers who will come in to assist in this, so that there is no gap, there’s smooth transition wherever it’s necessary,” he explained.
Back in January, Dr Ali had issued a stern warning to the management of Guyana’s sugar estates, making it clear that underperformance will no longer be tolerated.
It was previously reported that the Corporation closed 2025 with production of approximately 59,200 tonnes of sugar, falling short of even its already reduced final-crop target of 60,000 tonnes.
That figure is also significantly below the revised 2025 target of 70,000 tonnes, and far off the original target of 80,000 tonnes.
President Ali had signalled this tougher, results-driven posture as recently as November last year, cautioning that entrenched mismanagement within GuySuCo must be eliminated if the industry is to return to sustainable production levels.
Dr Ali had stressed that while sugar remains vital to the regional economy, continued State investment cannot be divorced from performance.
“Sugar is an important part of the economy here in Region Six, and we’re going to continue to invest, but we have to get the return on our investment,” the President had said.
He underscored the importance of boosting output at key estates, noting specifically that increased production at Albion and Rose Hall is essential to the industry’s recovery.
As part of the broader effort to revitalise the sector, President Ali revealed that international technical support will be brought in to strengthen operations and improve efficiency across the estates.
He also indicated that the government intends to deepen engagement with private cane farmers as part of a more inclusive and performance-oriented approach to rebuilding the sugar industry.
