By KNEWS

Copyright kaieteurnewsonline

‘GuySuCo is a commercial failure’ – Vishnu Panday says

Sep 19, 2025
News

– as govt. receives proposals to re-open Skeldon Sugar Factory

Kaieteur News – The Government’s handling of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has resulted in it being a commercial failure, former Director of Agriculture and representative for the We Invest in Nationhood party (WIN) Vishnu Panday has said.

On Wednesday, President Irfaan Ali told private cane farmers in Skeldon, Berbice, Region Six that the Government has received two proposals for the re-establishment of a sugar factory.

“So, we have those proposals that came in. We are having some more detailed discussions. One investor has said that they are firm in re-establishing the factory, but that will necessitate a discussion with the farmers to arrive at the long-term pricing mechanism,” Ali explained.

The President said that such investments require a long-term pricing mechanism, as investors have to justify their investment over an extended period. As a result, the Head-of-State said that discussions will be held with the farmers to come up with the mechanism, since the required infrastructure will cost the Government billions.

However, in response, Panday told Kaieteur News in an invited comment that GuySuCo is a state-run entity that has been hampered by political influence causing it to fail.

“This is not because Guyanese don’t have the skills to cultivate sugar on a profitable basis…but it is because of the political influence and political appointments,” Panday said.

Panday reasoned that with the world’s population being about eight billion people as of the December 2024 census, if there are three billion homes, every single one utilises sugar in some form. Sugar is also used in the confectionary as well in pharmacology, baking and other industries.

“So, to put it in economic terms… Sugar is not an outdated item. It is an item in economics that we call supply and demand. Sugar is in great demand, as it used to be hundreds of years ago, and it is at present and it will continue to be in the future,” he said.

Panday believes that the success of sugar should not be written off but instead ridding the company of political influence would help in having the industry bounce back to its glory days.

The former Director of Agriculture made it clear that those leading the sugar company ought to be free of political interference and allowed to manage the sector in the best interest of the country.

He reminded that the PPP/C had promised, in run-up to the 2020 general and regional elections, to reopen all shattered estates but failed to do so and only started talking about the Skeldon Estate in 2024, as an election gimmick.

“Now, from his statements and deliberations, he placed a lot of emphasis on citrus and other crops at skeleton, as if he was actually psychologically putting to the people, don’t worry with sugar. Cultivate your land by using what we call citrus and other crops. That was deliberate. That was the intention. And it is the intention of the PPP not to rehabilitate the sugar industry. And I repeat, it is not the intention of the PPP to rehabilitate the sugar industry. So that meeting was a smoke screen to give an impression that he got to discuss with cane farmers what you’re talking about other crops like citrus, coffee and cocoa,” he said referencing the President’s recent meeting.

Further, Panday accused President Ali of trying to “fool cane farmers” at Skeldon. He said had the President been serious, he would have taken sugar experts with him to the meeting. Instead, Panday claimed the President was flanked by persons who are experienced in diversification.

In September 2024, this publication reported that a total of nine bidders signaled their interest in undertaking GuySuCo projects for land preparation and planting at the Skeldon Sugar Estate in Region Six.

Submitting their bids to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office were Ally Metals & Lumber – $108,073,500; Satnarine Cane Planting Business; CNR Investment; Jaiand Commodities Inc.; KNS Peetum Construction – $141,000,000; Rajesh Sahadeo Contracting; AJM Enterprise- $2,110,905,000; Ryker Ryan Investment – $2,238,400,500; Jason Gravesande General Contracting Service; Jalil & Daughters Business Establishment – $46,831,850; and Mahadeo Ramnarine.

President Irfaan Ali, in May 2025, had reaffirmed to the residents of Crabwood Creek, Region Six during a visit that his Government is moving to reopen the Skeldon Sugar Estate, which was closed down by the previous Administration.

“We are working on the Skeldon Estate…I agree that there are challenges but we are working on that,” he was quoted in a Department of Public Information article. Kaieteur News understands that the Government was in the process of making another 5000 hectares of land available at the Skeldon Sugar Estate.

commercial failure, GUYSUCO, sugar, Vishnu Panday, win