Latest update October 29th, 2026 10:22 AM
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Sugar workers refuse to heed Corporation’s call
– attendance drops even further, no production for week
The bad news has continued for the sugar industry as despite calls for an improvement, no production was recorded countrywide.
As of yesterday also, sugar production stood at 220,669 tonnes, almost 44,000 tonnes short of the adjusted target and 14,000 short of last year.
This year will see the industry dropping to its lowest production since the PPP/C administration took office 18 years ago.
Last week, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) announced that more than 400,000 tonnes of cane that was targeted to be harvested this year will be carried forward to the new year instead.
This has since been raised to 500,000 tonnes by the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday.
The Corporation, citing pressing debt payments and other financial commitments that have to be met with financiers and local banks, had announced last week that it was extending the crop to early January to capitalize on the good weather.
However, officials of the Corporation when contacted spoke of a gloomy situation that has been dogging the industry for some time now.
There was no production as of yesterday or for the week.
Harvesters’ turnout, averaging in a lowly mid-40’s for the year, dropped to an alarming 11 % yesterday with 9% being recorded for the week.
Only 335 punts of cane were loaded yesterday.
La Bonne Intention (LBI) was the only one factory grinding as those at Albion, Rose Hall, Blairmont and Wales were out of cane.
While Skeldon, Enmore and Uitvlugt factories have ceased grinding, some harvesters are still working canes at other estates.
According to GuySuCo, 60 persons from Skeldon are at Albion loading 25 punts; 44 persons from Enmore are at LBI loading 21 punts and 17 persons from Uitvlugt are at Wales loading eight punts.
Recently, a cash-strapped GuySuCo asked government for $2B to pay creditors and suppliers and was unable to pay workers any increases.
President Bharrat Jagdeo subsequently met with sugar workers and representatives and announced a 5% pay deal from the government which he promised to have built into their pay packets next year providing it is linked to performance.
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