GuySuCo Announces Strong Early Crop Performance as Output Targets Remain Below Historical Levels

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has announced that the Rose Hall Estate and Albion Estate exceeded their combined weekly sugar production target for the week ending March 7, 2026, marking what the corporation described as a strong start to the first crop of the year.

In a press release, GuySuCo said the two estates produced 2,457 tonnes of sugar, surpassing their weekly target of 1,989 tonnes by 468 tonnes. The factories also recorded a Tonnes Cane to Tonnes Sugar (TCTS) ratio of 12.53, which the corporation said reflects improving efficiency in the conversion of cane to sugar.

The achievement is particularly notable for Rose Hall Estate, which GuySuCo said recorded its highest production figures since its reopening by the government in 2023.

Estate Manager Threbhowan Shiwprasad attributed the improvement to greater coordination among workers.

“This improvement we see at Rose Hall is due to factory employees and field staff working closely as a team. It is all work that is showing better results. There has also been improvement in communication at all levels, the delivery of clean, fresh canes to the factory, and the proactiveness of staff members together with the engagement of workers, all of which are contributing to the improved results,” Shiwprasad said.

The First Crop of 2026 began two weeks ago and is expected to continue until around the first week of May.

At present, operations have commenced at Albion, Rose Hall and Uitvlugt Estate, while Blairmont Estate is expected to begin operations during the coming week.

GuySuCo noted that although the industry continues to face labour shortages, estates have benefited from favourable weather conditions in the early weeks of the crop, supporting both harvesting and factory operations.

However, industry data show that current production expectations remain significantly below historical levels.

Evidence from GuySuCo reports indicates that production targets for Albion and Rose Hall today are far lower than they were about 15 years ago. Albion once operated in a system expecting between 40,000 and 60,000 tonnes of sugar annually, while current estimates are closer to about 24,000 tonnes. Rose Hall, which is rebuilding after its closure several years ago, is now working with annual production targets of around 11,000 tonnes.

The figures reflect a structurally smaller sugar industry with lower output expectations than existed more than a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the announcement has drawn criticism from the parliamentary opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), which questioned why the corporation has not addressed concerns about payments to workers.

In a social media post, the party wrote:

“Guysuco announcing everything else like what you are seeing below except when the sugar workers will receive their promise retroactive payment that should have been paid out since last year. This is another election gimmick to trick the sugar workers into voting for the PPP, also you cut the salaries of senior staff, when will they be paid their rightful wages.”

Last week, WIN also raised concerns about alleged non-payment of wages and salary reductions affecting workers at several estates.

According to the party, approximately 60 workers at the Uitvlugt Estate have reportedly not received salaries for the past three months, while senior management staff across the four operating estates—Uitvlugt, Albion, Blairmont and Rose Hall—have allegedly had their salaries reduced by nearly $100,000, including deductions affecting previously announced wage increases of eight percent for 2025 and nine percent for 2026.

The party also criticised the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and its president Seepaul Narine, arguing that his role as a Member of Parliament raises concerns about independent representation for sugar workers. WIN further alleged that two workers from the Uitvlugt Estate were removed from the union after raising concerns.

WIN has called on Zulfikar Mustapha to urgently address the situation.

GuySuCo, which received G$8.4 billion in the 2026 national budget to support wages and operations as part of a turnaround plan aimed at achieving profitability by 2030, has not publicly responded to the allegations.