Skeldon Estate to cultivate 1,500 hectares of cane by year-end

– as GuySuCo moves further into mechanisation

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is set to cultivate 1,500 hectares of sugarcane in mechanised fields at the Skeldon Sugar Estate in Region Six by the end of 2025.
This ambitious plan was announced by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, during the recent ‘Guyana Dialogue’ programme, highlighting a renewed commitment to revitalise the sugar industry.

According to Minister Mustapha, cane cultivation has already commenced at Skeldon, part of a larger initiative that includes a massive 5,000-hectare expansion of the estate.
“The sugar industry has a vital role to play. We are moving into mechanisation. 40 per cent of GuySuCo’s cultivation has been mechanised. We have started the cultivation of cane once again at Skelton. We are hoping by the end of this year; we can plant 1,500 hectares of cane in mechanised fields. The target is another 5,000 hectares of cultivation we’ll do at Skelton. We are looking to increase cultivation at Rose Hall and Blairmont and Albion,” Mustapha announced.
Significant investments have been made since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration returned to power in 2020, totalling over $28 billion to improve productivity across the sector. This includes $13.3 billion allocated for 2025 alone.

Minister Mustapha noted that Government has set an ambitious target of producing 101,000 tonnes of sugar for GuySuCo in 2025, aiming to reduce production costs through increased output.
“We are moving at a pace and high plug to ensure that we continue to improve those areas. So GuySuCo, as I said, although we have made that expenditure in GuySuCo, we are moving to ensure that GuySuCo becomes once again profitable. First of all, we are working to reduce the cost of production and then we›ll move the process forward to break-even point, and then profitability. But GuySuCo is interlinked in the country’s economy, and GuySuCo is important for the country’s development,” the Minister disclosed.
As GuySuCo adapts to modern agricultural practices, Minister Mustapha addressed the potential for workforce attrition, as workers may pursue opportunities in other industries. However, he assured stakeholders that the corporation is prepared for this transition by investing in advanced mechanisation, including billet harvesters and bell loaders to enhance efficiency.
“I don’t see an issue if workers might want to gravitate to other industries, but GuySuCo is preparing for that and also, they will. That is why they are moving in this phase of mechanisation. A time will come that they’ll have that and they started already, they are using these billet harvesters, they are using these bell loaders to load the cane. Workers now are not fetching cane on their heads anymore; they are only cutting the canes. So, a time will come, right, a time will come and any forward-thinking industry, any plan to better in operations in the future, to make operations more modern, make operations more competitive, and things like that. An administration that doesn’t do that does not work upon itself,” he explained.
Currently, sugar is being produced at US$1.131 per pound and is sold at US$0.171 (17 cents) per pound.
In 2024, the sugar sector contracted by 21.8 per cent, with GuySuCo producing 47,103 tonnes from the 63,276-tonne target. The low production was as a result of the impact of El Niño, compounded by labour shortages across the industry throughout last year.
The sum of $15.5 billion was expended that year to support the sugar industry, including the acquisition of six new cane harvesters; conversion of 2,734 hectares of land for mechanised cultivation and harvesting, and rehabilitated critical revetment works.
In 2025, an additional 3,068 hectares of land will be converted to support mechanisation. Key investments will be made to acquire additional field equipment, rehabilitate field infrastructure, and construct over 17 kilometres (km) of all-weather roads across the industry.
For these efforts, some $13.3 billion was approved as part of the Agriculture Ministry’s $104.6 billion budget– to support and rehabilitate the sugar industry this year.