Full Shelves, Empty Pockets: The Hollow Victory of Guyana’s Food Security

Dear Editor, 

In a recent glowing tribute at an awards ceremony hosted by the private sector honoring the Minister of Agriculture , the narrative presented about Guyana’s agricultural transformation was one of unqualified success—strong systems, historic self-sufficiency, and overflowing local production. While achievements in diversification and infrastructure are noted, this sanitized version conveniently ignores the stark and persistent crises still crippling the sector and burdening ordinary Guyanese.

Let’s set the record straight.

1. The Guysuco Quagmire

The national sugar corporation remains a bottomless pit, a symbol of unresolved failure. Despite being a core part of the ministry’s mandate, it has staggered through multiple foreign consultancies without a clear path to viability. Billions have been sunk, yet no sustainable solution is in sight—a glaring contradiction to claims of “stronger systems.”

2. Rice Farmers Drowning in Injustice

For successive crops, rice farmers have been left literally and financially underwater. They face unfair pricing from millers, with their plight now casually delegated back to those same profit-driven millers by the very ministry meant to protect them. This is not resilience; it is abandonment.

3. The Protein Deficit & Import Dependence

While boasting of reduced import dependence, the ministry has overseen a sector incapable of meeting local demand for meat and eggs, leading to increased imports from Brazil. Where is the “resilient food economy” when our protein supply remains hostage to foreign markets?

4. The Affordability Crisis

Packed shelves mean little if prices are beyond reach. The cost of locally grown ground provisions, vegetables, and other staples has skyrocketed, placing nutritious food out of reach for the average family. Food security isn’t just about availability—it’s about accessibility. On this front, the ministry has failed.

5. The Recurring Nightmare of Flooding

Flooding remains a devastating and unaddressed threat within the ministry’s ambit, destroying crops and livelihoods with seasonal regularity. Where is the “resilience” when farming communities are repeatedly left to bail themselves out?

Conclusion: Results vs. Reality

True food security is measured not by rhetoric or selective statistics, but by solving foundational problems, ensuring fair returns for farmers, stabilizing prices for consumers, and building genuine climate resilience. The current narrative, while polished, overlooks the harsh daily realities of those who produce and purchase food in Guyana.

It is time to step out of the echo chamber of achievement and into the reality of the struggling farmer, the anxious homemaker, and the indebted industry. Only then can we begin a truthful conversation about what “food security” really means—and what remains to be done.

We issue a collective  call for accountability beyond accolades.

After all the budget is funded by our tax dollars, while we demand value for our money, we are afforded “food insecurity “instead.

Sincerely,

Hemdutt Kumar