1,500 hectares of cane for cultivation at Skeldon Estate by year-end

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will be cultivating 1,500 hectares of sugarcane in mechanised fields at the Skeldon Sugar Estate in Region Six by the end of 2025.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha provided the update during the ‘Guyana Dialogue’ programme aired on Thursday.

He said cane cultivation has started at the Skeldon estate.

The corporation is also looking to increase cultivation at the Rose Hall, Blairmont and Albion Estates. Works are also moving apace at the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate.

Since the PPP/C Administration returned to office in 2020, Guyana’s sugar industry received significant investments for its restoration and to ensure sustainable growth.

GuySuCo received $3 billion in 2020, $2 billion in 2021, $6 billion in 2022, $4 billion in 2023, $6 billion in 2023, and $13.3 billion in 2025 to improve productivity.

Sugar estates such as Rose Hall, Albion, and Uitvlugt have undergone significant rehabilitation to maximise production.

“No matter what industry we have and the stream of revenue we have coming into our country, I think sugar will always play a pivotal role in Guyana’s development,” Minister Mustapha stated.

The government has set an ambitious target of 101,000 tonnes of sugar for GuySuCo in 2025.

Minister Mustapha explained that increased sugar production will lead to a lower cost of production.

Currently, 40 per cent of cultivation lands have been mechanised.  The government will continue mechanisation efforts this year, with an additional 3,000 hectares earmarked for conversion.

Over 17 kilometres of all-weather roads will be constructed across the sector.

A new packaging plant at Albion Sugar Estate, along with planned expansion at Blairmont Sugar Estate, will enhance the production of value-added sugar products.