President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced that seven Indian experts from the sugar industry will be integrated into the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to aid in the further mechanization and transformation of the sector.
Additionally, 12 Cuban experts are already in Guyana assisting with the revitalization efforts, as stated by the President in a live update on his Facebook page from the Kingston Seawall in Georgetown.
As per media report, President Ali highlighted that the industry had contracted by 60% in the first half of the year due to several factors, including drought.
He pointed out that when the PPP returned to power in 2020, significant reinvestment was necessary to revitalize the sugar industry. This included rebuilding factories, clearing cane lands that had become overgrown due to neglect, restoring dams, drainage, and irrigation canals, and rehiring thousands of workers.
Ali’s administration is focused on restoring the industry after it suffered from neglect and the harsh closures of some factories during the 2015-2020 term of the former APNU+AFC government.
With ongoing efforts, including increased mechanization in cane harvesting (now at 43%) and the planting of new cane lands, the President expressed optimism for a significant recovery in the industry in the latter half of this year and into the first crop of next year.
