ALBION, BERBICE — The PPP/C government is doubling down on its promise to pour even more money into the crippled sugar industry, despite falling global demand and GuySuCo’s continued struggle to produce.
Senior Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh made the announcement at the party’s packed rally in Albion, where he drew sharp contrasts between the PPP/C’s approach and what he called the “economic disaster” caused by APNU+AFC.
In a fiery speech before thousands of Region Six residents, Singh didn’t hold back. “The people of Region Six bore the brunt of APNU’s lack of vision, their incompetence, their blatant political persecution and victimisation,” he declared, referencing the coalition’s closure of the Rose Hall and Skeldon estates that sent shockwaves through Berbice in 2017.
More than 7,000 workers were dumped onto the breadline during APNU’s term, while the government spent over $10 billion in severance payouts to families still reeling from the sudden collapse of the industry.
Singh slammed the coalition for promising to diversify sugar with grand plans for agro-processing and new economic zones, none of which materialised. “They walked away,” Singh said.
“We stayed and rebuilt.”Since its return to office, the PPP/C has pumped over $20 billion into GuySuCo, attempting to restart shuttered factories, rehire displaced workers, and modernise infrastructure. But even with this massive financial push, production continues to fall short.
From 88,868 tonnes in 2020, GuySuCo’s output dropped to 58,025 tonnes in 2021, plunged further to 47,049 tonnes in 2022, and barely recovered in 2023 with around 52,000 tonnes, nowhere near what’s needed to revive the industry or meet demand.
Still, Singh insisted the investment is about more than sugar. “When the sugar industry was closed, not only did sugar workers feel the brunt of that; every single market vendor, every single taxi driver, every single shop owner felt the brunt of it,” he told the crowd.
As global sugar prices remain volatile and consumption declines, critics have questioned whether the government is throwing good money after bad. But Singh framed the decision as part of a broader plan to revitalise Region Six through housing, jobs, roads, and social development.
“We are a party with vision, with credibility and the commitment to deliver,” he said. “We’re not pretending sugar has no problems. But unlike them, we stayed. We fought. We invested. And we are seeing the recovery begin.
”His rallying cry to the crowd was unambiguous: “Never again. Never again must the people of this region be placed under the weight of that kind of hardship. On September 1, we must not only return Dr Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C, we must wipe the opposition out.”
