–gov’t credits tougher enforcement, blacklisting of foreign offenders, crackdown on illegal mining

GUYANA has surpassed its gold declaration target for the first half of 2026 for the first time in almost nine years, with declarations nearing 240,000 ounces—about 25,000 ounces more than were recorded during the corresponding period last year.

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat announced the milestone during the ‘Starting Point’ podcast on Saturday, describing it as a major turnaround for an industry that has struggled with declining production for much of the past decade.

Bharrat said, “I’m happy to say that in 2026 we have reached our budgeted target of gold declaration for the half-year period.”

According to the minister, the government’s target for the first six months of the year was approximately 233,000 ounces, but declarations have already exceeded that figure.
“Right now, we’re close to 240,000 ounces that have been declared over this period of time,” he said.

The achievement is particularly significant because it comes despite prolonged periods of heavy rainfall that disrupted mining operations across the country.

Bharrat explained that Guyana’s gold industry has been rebuilding after years of declining production. He recalled that the country recorded its highest production in 2016, driven largely by output from Guyana Goldfields, before annual production steadily declined through 2024.
While 2024 recorded only a slight improvement over the previous year, he said the sector rebounded strongly in 2025, with production increasing by roughly 52,000 ounces. That upward trend has continued into 2026.

The minister attributed the latest gains largely to the government’s intensified campaign against illegal mining and efforts to improve compliance with gold declaration requirements.

He said authorities spent the first quarter of the year reviewing miners and companies whose declarations for 2025 were either extremely low or non-existent.

As a result, several mining licenses and permits were not renewed, while a number of foreign miners were permanently barred from operating in Guyana.

“We had cause not to renew some of their licences and permits. We had to blacklist some of the non-nationals whose declaration was very low or non-existent. They’ve been blacklisted. They cannot come back to the country and engage in the mining sector,” Bharrat said.

The government has also intensified its crackdown on illegal mining, adopting what the minister described as a zero-tolerance approach.

He pointed to a recent enforcement exercise in Region One (Barima-Waini), where authorities seized between 10 and 12 excavators that were allegedly being used in unauthorised mining operations.

Bharrat warned that miners operating illegally face severe penalties, including confiscation of equipment, hefty financial penalties based on the estimated value of illegally extracted gold, and possible criminal charges where the gold was sold through unauthorised channels.

“If we find you mining illegally, we will seize your equipment because you’re engaged in illegal activities. If you want it back, you will pay a fine,” he said.

He believes these measures are already producing tangible results.

Bharrat said, “I think because of this, we are seeing the results now. For the first time in about nine years, we have actually reached our half-year budgeted target, which is about 25,000 more than last year for the same period.”

The minister also reported positive performances across several other segments of the mining industry during the first half of 2026.

He said production has remained strong in the bauxite, quarry materials and manganese subsectors.

Diamond production, however, continues to face challenges as synthetic diamonds gain a larger share of the global market and elevated gold prices encourage many miners to shift away from diamond recovery in favour of gold mining.

Bharrat underscored the mining sector’s continued importance to Guyana’s economy, noting that it remains the country’s second-largest contributor to gross domestic product after the oil and gas industry.

He added that the sector provides direct and indirect employment for an estimated 30,000 people.

With gold declarations already exceeding the government’s mid-year target, the minister expressed confidence that continued enforcement against illegal mining and stronger regulatory compliance will help sustain production growth during the remainder of the year while strengthening the sector’s contribution to the national economy.