16 quarries operational in Guyana, additional quarries to start production in 2025

…MNR, GGMC to work on expanding sector to meet demand

The quarry sector has gone from struggling to keep up with the construction industry’s demand for stones, to having over 15 operational quarries last year, with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government revealing that even more quarries will be starting up in 2025.
During his 2025 budget presentation, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh revealed statistics on the quarrying sector. For instance, as of last year there were 16 operational quarries, with three more expected to start up this year.
“Mr. Speaker, in the case of stone, in 2020, Guyana had six operational quarries producing less than 740,000 tonnes of stone. By 2024, the number of quarries had increased to 16, propelling production to over 3.3 million tonnes, with an additional three quarries expected to commence production this year,” Dr Singh said.
There has also been an uptick in sand production, according to Dr. Singh who revealed that over 12 million tonnes were produced last year. This is against a production of less than 700,000 tonnes in 2020.

“In the case of sand production, 2024 saw 67 permit holders across the country producing over 12 million tonnes. This marks a dramatic increase from 2020, when only 18 operations were active yielding a total of less than 700,000 tonnes. This upward trajectory is expected to continue in 2025, as more operators begin utilizing their sand pits,” the finance minister added.
Meanwhile, at his recent end of year press conference, it had been highlighted by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat how demand for stone aggregates is only expected to increase during 2025. According to him, the Ministry together with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) will work on increasing the supply.
“As you know the demand is still high. The demand will continue to increase, based on the infrastructure taking place across the country. And with the Ministry of Housing poised to reach a target of over 50,000 house lots, it means the demand will significantly increase.”
“People building their homes, leaving out the massive expansion of infrastructure across the country in all regions. So, the Ministry of Natural Resources and GGMC will continue to work with our stakeholders, so that we can satisfy local demand,” Bharrat had also said.
Aggregates such as stone and sand are important parts of Guyana’s growing construction sector. However, when the prices for any of these commodities are hiked due to shortages, it can severely disrupt the supply chain.
Since the PPP/C return to office, the construction boom has also led to a greater demand for aggregates. This has prompted the Government to make efforts to ensure there are adequate supplies.

For 2020, just about 650,000 tonnes of materials were produced. The next year, the Government announced it was working with GGMC to up production of construction aggregates to over one million tonnes. The production rate for quarriable substances had been much lower than the demand in previous years.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali had also revealed in 2023 that as many as 20 companies were vying to establish concrete plants, as the demand grew with the PPP/C Government’s housing drive and ambitious construction goals. And in 2021, the 1 million mark was surpassed when over 1.65 million tonnes of aggregates were recorded.
In 2022, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that the massive road projects for the public sector in 2023 would require a whopping six million tonnes of aggregates. For this, he had shared that Government was exploring various options to keep the construction sector going. Neighboring countries such as Suriname and Trinidad were also unable to fulfil these needs.
The production of aggregates has since risen dramatically, however, with the last Bank of Guyana half-year report revealing that in the first half of 2023, over 4.2 million tonnes in construction aggregates (sand and stone) were declared. While sand declarations recorded a 52.6 per cent increase, crushed stone also recorded a 71.7 per cent increase. (G3)