GuySuCo’s role can be expanded to support other crops like rice, cassava – Pres Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday said that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) must become a hub of rural economic development, expanding its operations to support other crops such as rice and cassava.
He made the disclosure on Monday during an address at the 77th anniversary observation of the Enmore Martyrs.
“We have to think strategically of how we will expand the role of GuySuCo. And perhaps it is time for us to reimagine GuySuCo’s role altogether,” the president said.
“Why must its mandate stop only at sugar? GuySuCo can and must become a hub of rural economic development,” he noted.
According to President Ali, GuySuCo’s lands, infrastructure and knowledge base can support other crops like rice, corn, and cassava.
He noted too that it can support livestock operations, agro-processing hubs, farmer training and extension services, as well as fabrication and engineering services.
The president also noted that GuySuCo possesses some of the best machinists in the world, and “we have to leverage this human capital and human potential.”
In this regard, he reiterated already announced plans to diversify crops, skills and income at GuySuCo and for sugar workers.
“We don’t only want sugar workers to rely on their income from sugar,” the president said.
“We want to convert acreage of land into high-yielding production, high-value production, but production that is owned by the workers. Lands that are cultivated and revenues that are generated, but generated to support the income diversification of the workers,” he noted.
The plan the president outlined is to co-invest with workers in GuySuCo to create new economic activities.