By: Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
Shadow Minister of Agriculture and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP Vinceroy Jordan has accused the Ali-led administration of misleading the public on the state of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO), describing the Government’s latest mid-year report as “propaganda dressed up as progress.”
Speaking in Parliament during his analysis of the 2025 Mid-Year Report, Jordan accused the government of what he called “creative accounting” and the manipulation of performance indicators to make the sugar industry appear healthier than it actually is.
“The Minister must say to the nation that he is using figures from a failed target — from a 60% contracted period — and still calling that progress,” Jordan declared.
According to the opposition MP, the government’s projections of 16,000 tons in 2024 and 40,000 tons in 2025 are mathematically and economically inconsistent, given that the sector fell short by 57.88% in 2024 and is again projected to underperform by 60.11% in 2025.
“They must also tell the nation that the figures they’re using for comparison are revised figures that came after lowering the original target of 100,000 metric tons down to 70,000 — and then producing only 63,000 metric tons by year-end,” he stated.
Jordan pointed out that, by the Government’s own admission, sugar production contracted by 60.4% at mid-year 2024, with an overall annual decline of 21.8% compared to 2023. Despite these figures, he noted, the Ministry of Agriculture continues to boast of progress and modernization efforts.
“The Government says GUYSUCO is progressing, but the numbers tell a different story,” Jordan said. “After receiving more than $45 billion in subsidies over five years, there’s very little to show for it.”
He criticised the Administration for using taxpayers’ money to “prop up a failing enterprise”, claiming that new harvesters, mechanisation projects, and factory upgrades have not translated into measurable production increases.
“Until the PPP stops using GUYSUCO as a political prop and starts running it like a business, both workers and taxpayers will continue to pay the price,” the APNU MP cautioned.
Jordan’s comments come amid growing scrutiny of the sugar industry’s financial viability and long-term sustainability, as the Government continues to invest heavily in GUYSUCO despite declining productivity and mounting losses.
