Despite dry weather, GuySuCo still aiming for 100,000 tonnes of sugar this year

Prevailing dry weather conditions have hampered the production of sugar but the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) still eyes the production of 100,000 tonnes of sugar this year.

This is according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali who engaged field and factory workers of GuySuCo’s Blairmont Estate on Wednesday.

He said the corporation aims to plant sugarcane on 5,000 hectares of land in 2024 and once that is done, all of the factories will be working at an optimal capacity. Further, that should enable the corporation to meet its target of producing 100,000 tonnes of sugar this year.

Production was 40,000 tonnes in 2022 and then 60,000 tonnes in 2023.

Dry weather conditions have, however, constrained output so far.

“This year we are pushing to get 100,000 tonnes of sugar but we didn’t expect the weather to be bad,” President Ali said.

Lower output also means that sugar workers aren’t necessarily getting the payments they are accustomed to receiving. So President Ali said a team will visit the workers again on Saturday to determine what “intervention” is necessary.

“We will talk to the Union and we will discuss an intervention,” the President said, though noting that integrating workers into a community swamp shrimp production effort can help to supplement their income.