Guyana Records Decrease In Sugar Production

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana produced more than 218 thousand tonnes of sugar last year blaming industrial action and the inclement weather for the 7.8 percent decline over the previous year.

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, speaking at a “Honour’s Roll” ceremony for workers employed with the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), said total production for 2012 was 218,070 tonnes.

He said this was attributed to industrial relations disruptions and inclement weather patterns which continued to plague the industry during the first half of the year. A dry weather spell aided the industry during the second crop; however, the first crop contraction of 33.4 percent could not be compensated for by the second crop growth of 13.3 per cent.

“The glory days of GuySuCo are not at an end…we will rise again to even more glorious days that we have had in the history of the sugar industry,” Ramsammy said, adding the  government had to bring the industry out of its almost death bed in the 1980s.

He said GuySuco, would continue to be a pillar in the development of the economy as it is more that an industry, it is essential to the country and too important to fail.

“We all have one goal and that goal is a better Guyana…we were once a poor highly rejected bankrupt country, and today we are a middle income country,” he said.

Ramsammy reminded the workers that “these are difficult times, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to try and we will work to overcome those difficulties”.

He said he remains optimistic that GuySuco will not only recover, but attain heights as never before.

“We will make sure that we put this industry on the road of success…we have the capacity and the will to work closer together to have a greater understanding,” he said, adding “you have been our success and you remain the promise of success in the future”.