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Govt. confident in meeting GuySuCo’s production targets
…as House approves $5.6B more for Agriculture Ministry
Kaieteur News – Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday told the National Assembly with great confidence that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will meet its production target of 60,000 tons by year end.
He made this announcement as the House considered an additional $1.5 billion for the entity, after being allocated $4 billion in this year’s Budget.
Mustapha told the National Assembly that the additional sum would help the sugar sector meet its production target by year end.
“We are open and very optimistic that we will reach that 60,000 tons target. Next year start, it will be around 100,000 tons,” the Minister reported.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha at the 67th sitting, Twelfth Parliament
According to statistics from the Bank of Guyana (BoG), sugar production has been declining over the past three years. The 2022 Report explains that in 2020, 88,890 tons were produced. However in 2021 and 2022, production totaled 58,025 tons and 47,049 tons respectively.
Even with the significant decline in sugar production, Mustapha was pleased to highlight the 14 percent increase in sugar production recorded so far for the year.
He noted that the additional $1.5 billion requested would assist in the development and rehabilitation of the Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall and Uitvlugt Estates.
In addition to the extra funds approved in the National Assembly for the Guyana Sugar Corporation, the House also approved an extra $2.5 billion for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA); $437.8 million for the National Research Institute and $25.4 million for the Guyana Marketing Corporation. It was explained that the resources would support the Ministry’s expanded work programme.
As part of the total $5.6 billion more granted to the Ministry, it also received $4 billion more for urgent drainage and irrigation works in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and 10 and $100 million more to facilitate pasture development by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).
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