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WIN demands accountability for billions spent on GuySuCo
…Agri Minister says plan in place to make sugar profitable by 2030
(Kaieteur News) – Faced with questions about billions being spent on an industry which has been repeatedly failing to meet targets, the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday pointed to a five-year plan to revive the industry to profitability by 2030.
Announcing the blueprint was Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha just after Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Vishnu Panday cited the urgent need for accountability of billions spent to date at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
Panday, a former GuySuCo Estate Manager and Agriculture Director, focused his presentation on Day Two of the 2026 Budget Debates on what he described as a devastated sugar industry.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha flashes the new five-year plan for GuySuCo in the National Assembly during the Budget Debates on Tuesday.
He told the National Assembly that the state of the agency was largely due to political appointments, rather than qualified individuals filling positions. “When you place people not with merit but with other beliefs and other reasons, the end result is utter destruction,” Panday said.
Questioning the billions in revenue so far allocated to GuySuCo, he noted that in 2022 a drone was purchased that to date never arrived. “Millions were spent. GuySuCo purchased something that we call French cutter, it’s a mechanical harvester that never cut canes to produce one tonne sugar. GuySuCo produced a captain mechanical harvester that up to today it didn’t cut cane to produce quarter tonne of sugar,” the former Estate Manager noted.
Moreover, he told the House that $144M was paid to a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and while it was suggested that the payment be appealed, Panday stated that the minister said he was instructed not to pursue it. To this end, he argued, “The people must know where the money has gone- $144M and if that was not enough, the man was promoted to an esteemed office.”
Furthermore, he pointed out that the minister was alerted that government monies were being spent to fund birthday parties and other personal events.
In winding down his presentation, Panday said that although billions are being spent by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), two days of rainfall still result in flooding across the country. To this end, he contended, “We are managing an organisation called the NDIA that billions are spent and we don’t know what they are doing.”
Meanwhile, in responding to the Opposition MP, Minister Mustapha acknowledged that $13.4B has been allocated to GuySuCo this year. Furthermore, he pointed out that sugar production has increased by 26%.
He said, “Sugar production increased by 26.4% in 2025, rising from 47,108 metric tonnes in 2024 to 59,600 metric tonnes. Over 113,470 metric tonnes of cane were harvested mechanically, demonstrating real progress in modernisation.”
Furthermore, the agriculture minister said, “Mr. Speaker I have here in my hand the new five-year strategic plan for GuySuCo which will see GuySuCo come to profitability by 2030.”
This plan according to him, seeks to build out a modern, competitive, diversified and sustainable industry.
It includes the conversion of over 3000 hectares for mechanised harvesting in 2026 alone; replacement of three sugar boilers and procurement of five new harvesters; modernisation of factories at Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall, and Uitvlugt.
Government also intends to expand value-added production, including packaged sugar and specialty products; improve all‑weather access roads to support billet cane movement; promote high-yielding cane varieties and strengthen agronomic practices and transition workers into higher-skilled, better-paid roles as mechanisation expands.
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