PPP/C Govt must be commended for Guyana’s economic performance

Dear Editor,
It was refreshing to hear about the economy’s performance for the first half of 2023 from President Dr Irfaan Ali at his press conference on September 9, 2023. After being starved of this type of news for five years prior to his assumption of office in 2020, the citizens must be elated to learn that the economy is not only propelled by the new oil and gas sector but the traditional sectors as well.
At the most recent press conference, the President announced that the economy grew by 59.5 per cent during the first six months of 2023. Even more remarkable is the 7.6 per cent expansion in the agriculture, fishing, and forestry sector, which the APNU/AFC Government systematically destroyed between 2015 and 2020. Every industry in this sector reported robust growth for the first time in over a decade.
The sugar industry, which was singled out for particularly cruel treatment by the uncaring and myopic APNU/AFC Government, and which as subsequence was received by the Ali Government in a totally decimated and ruined state, has risen like the mythical phoenix, from the ashes to register a mammoth 30.1 per cent growth.
This achievement must be considered nothing short of spectacular, as this turnaround has happened in as little as three years. The forestry sector, which the APNU/AFC Government crippled with burdensome taxes on machinery and equipment, posted an impressive increase of 4.5 per cent during the first half of this year. Meanwhile, after being buried in punishing land rentals, denied appropriate drainage and irrigation (D&I), and starved of international markets, the rice industry grew by 3.2 per cent during the corresponding period. The other crops, livestock, and fishing sub-sectors also increased by 9.4 per cent, 4.7 per cent, and 9.9 per cent, respectively for the first half of 2023, and all of this is occurring even as the nascent oil and gas sector continues to boom.
The performance of these industries is not accidental or based on ‘good luck’ but due to deliberate policies and initiatives pursued by President Ali’s Government. The strong performance of the sugar industry may be attributed to the investment made by the Government to reopen and capitalise on the shuttered estates and the reversal of the punishing taxes on machinery and equipment used in the forestry industry, which contributed massively to its sterling performance.
Meanwhile, the investment by the Government in D&I infrastructure, the rolling back of the debilitating land rental, access to seven new markets for rice, and the provision of fiscal incentives, are all responsible for the remarkable performance of the rice industry.
Editor, the growth in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors is beyond commendable for several reasons. This sector is labour-intensive and sustains citizens from many rural and often poor communities. Growth in the sector means more jobs and income for citizens, especially those in rural areas who rely on farming, livestock, fishing, and logging to make a living. Aside from the labour and income benefits of vibrant agriculture in these rural areas, it also serves as a direct food source, for the many farming households in those rural communities.
The sector’s strong performance is a clear signal that the Government is serious about strengthening our traditional industries and diversifying the economic base of our country. With a more diversified economy, Guyana is becoming more resilient to external shocks; something successive PPP/C Governments have made a priority, while the obviously clueless APNU/AFC, have only paid lip service to, during their deservedly brief sojourn.
The growth in this sector is also irrefutable evidence that the policies and initiatives implemented by the Government are bearing fruit and, once sustained, will make our country even more food secure, and establish us as the breadbasket of the Caribbean.
Editor, with your permission, I wish to commend President Ali and his team for fulfilling the PPP/C’s manifesto promise to ‘Rescue Our Productive Sector’ by pursuing a development vision the President described as ‘structural, pragmatic and in service to the people’ rather than ideological.

With regards,
Kevin Persaud