Pres Ali challenges GAWU to take up management of sugar estate

…expresses dissatisfaction with GuySuCo’s production

Noting that his Government is pursuing different formulas to ensure the long-term survival and profitability of the sugar industry, President Dr Irfaan Ali has called on the sector’s main trade union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), to take up the task of managing one of the estates.
“Just as we have invited proposals for the sugar estate, and we have coming in for Skeldon, we also invited the union, if you would like, to take up the mantle of management and to take one of the estates and make it a model,” the head of state said on Tuesday evening whilst delivering remarks at the 78th commemoration of the Enmore Martyrs.
“We give you that challenge openly to take one of the estates and to manage it… We give you that opportunity with the workers so that we can have different models. We invite you to be part of the management also because that is what good responsible Government does. It invites everyone to be a part of the table… Do not shy away from the opportunity; we are here to work with you,” President Ali told union representatives present at the event.
The Guyanese leader made these remarks as he pledged his Government’s continued commitment to support the revival of the sugar industry. But even as Government injects billions into the sector, Ali expressed his dissatisfaction with the production performance by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
“I am not pleased with the failure of the corporation to consistently achieve the production target. I have made this position abundantly clear. I have read the riot act to management. I’ve demanded greater accountability. I’ve demanded greater efficiency. I’ve demanded better results,” he posited.
In 2025, GuySuCo ended the year with sugar production of just 59,200 metric tonnes – a shortfall of the reduced target of 60,000 tonnes. At the beginning of the year, the production target was set at 80,000 tonnes but had to be revised to 70,000 and then further reduced due to a number of challenges faced across the four operating estates – Albion, Rose Hall, Blairmont and Uitvlugt.
This year, the sugar industry has a production target of 100,041 tonnes to meet.

Disrupting operations
However, the President reminded on Tuesday that the responsibility for the revival of the sugar industry does not rest solely with management but also with stakeholders like trade unions. To this end, he called on the union to be a better partner and not to strike unnecessarily, thus disrupting operations.
Underscoring the importance of the sugar industry to the country, Ali reminded that sugar is a heritage industry and has been the backbone of rural economies across Guyana for decades, sustaining villages and supporting families.
“Sugar does not only support sugar workers. Sugar supports the entire community, the markets, and the stores. It supports an entire ecosystem… And despite the challenges it faces today, it continues to play a vital role in national life,” he emphasised.
Nevertheless, as part of efforts to sustain the sector, the Guyanese leader noted that other pathways are being pursued to guarantee the sugar industry’s success, expressing that “we have to look to a plan that will strengthen the industry and optimise production and reduce costs of production, whilst at the same time looking at newer areas for growth and development within the sugar plantation.”
Already, GuySuCo has converted 44 per cent of its lands for mechanical harvesting.
“We know there is an acute shortage of labour. We know that many sugar workers do not want their children to engage in the task of cane-cutting. That is why mechanisation is no longer optional. It is necessary,” he asserted.
“At the same time, drone technology is being deployed for crop surveillance and for the application of chemicals and fertilisers. We do not need to buy 100 vehicles to go in the fields, Land Rovers with managers standing at the back. We can deploy a drone, and in real time we can see the entire cultivation in less than 10% of the time it took historically. And that is the direction we have to go,” President Ali stated.
In Budget 2026, the Guyana Government has allocated a whopping $13.4 billion for GuySuCo to support its modernisation, mechanisation, factory upgrades and expanded value-added production. Additionally, a further $3 billion in supplementary provisions for the sugar corporation is being sought from the National Assembly as part of a financial paper that was tabled earlier this month.
According to President Ali, “Our investment must bring returns, and at the level of the estates, changes will be made because they are necessary for the investments we’re making. We don’t shy away. And yes, technical expertise will come in. And yes, we are looking at proposals for the reinvestment in Skeldon Estate. But we are also looking at opportunities to lift the workers from one level to the next level…with retraining and retooling, reorganising, repositioning, re-strategising, and reorienting. You can rest assured the People’s Progressive Party will do it…because at the end of it, we want the workers to win.”