BUDGET 2026: Sugar gets $13.4B as GuySuCo to accelerate modernisation

The government has allocated $13.4 billion for the sugar industry in 2026, with a major push towards mechanisation, factory upgrades and expanded value-added production.

This is slightly up from the $13.3 billion that was spent on the sugar sector in 2025 and comes as the government continues efforts to restore the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to long-term financial viability.

Presenting Budget 2026 in the National Assembly on Monday, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, said the coming year will see the conversion of more than 3,000 hectares of land for mechanised harvesting, alongside the procurement of new equipment and critical factory improvements across estates.

Dr. Singh outlined that in 2026, the government will replace three sugar boilers, procure five new cane harvesters, construct a conveyor system for billet canes at Albion, and acquire additional sugar dryers for the Rose Hall and Uitvlugt estates.

Plans also include the installation of billet cane feeder tables, expansion of value-added sugar production, and improvements to all-weather road access to ensure smoother transportation of billet canes.

He noted that these investments build on significant work already completed over the past five years to stabilise and revitalise the sector. During that period, the Government reopened the Rose Hall Estate and upgraded field and factory infrastructure at Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall and Uitvlugt—moves which, according to Dr. Singh, helped re-energise rural communities that had been severely impacted by the industry’s decline.

As part of the restructuring effort, GUYSUCO also shifted its marketing and sales strategy away from bulk sugar towards higher-value products, while providing direct economic support to more than 5,200 severed workers. Today, the sector employs over 8,300 people.

Looking beyond 2026, Dr. Singh said the Government’s five-year objective is to deepen mechanisation, modernise factories, introduce high-yielding and high-value cane varieties, and invest in value-added production with private sector participation. The strategy also includes strengthening relations between workers, unions and management, while transitioning workers into higher-skilled roles.