GEORGETOWN – Opposition Shadow Minister of Agriculture Vinceroy Jordan has accused the PPP/C Government of peddling what he called “propaganda dressed up as progress” in its latest report on the sugar industry, warning that billions in taxpayers’ money have been poured into a failing operation with little to show for it.
Jordan’s statement, issued following the release of the 2025 Mid-Year Report, ripped into the Government’s claim of a 136.7% increase in sugar production, calling it “creative accounting” based on failed targets rather than real performance. “They’re comparing this year’s output against last year’s disaster and pretending it’s growth,” Jordan said.
He noted that despite receiving more than G$45 billion in subsidies since 2020, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) has repeatedly failed to meet its goals. In 2024, GUYSUCO produced just 6,739 metric tonnes against a target of 16,000, even after G$15.5 billion in state support.
This year, output reached only 15,954 tonnes, less than half of the projected 40,000, despite an additional G$13.3 billion in funding. “This government keeps pumping money into GUYSUCO like it’s a bottomless pit,” Jordan said. “All we get in return are missed targets and broken promises.”
Jordan reminded that in mid-2024, the sugar industry contracted by more than 60%, with overall production declining 21.8% by year’s end compared to 2023. Yet, he said, the administration continues to boast about modernization, new harvesters, and mechanization.
“The PPP keeps saying things are improving, but the numbers don’t lie, it’s inefficiency and waste hiding behind slogans,” he stated. The Opposition MP also recalled President Irfaan Ali’s public warning that “heads will roll” if GUYSUCO missed its 2025 first crop targets.
“The targets have been missed again, and yet not a single head has rolled,” Jordan said. “It’s clear that accountability doesn’t apply when the failures are political.” He accused the Government of using GUYSUCO as a political tool to appeal to voters in the sugar belt rather than genuinely reforming the industry.
“Until the PPP stops using GUYSUCO as a prop and starts treating it like a business, workers and taxpayers will keep paying the price,” he said. Jordan urged the administration to shift focus toward productivity, transparency, and worker welfare, insisting that the current trajectory cannot continue.
“After years of false starts and billions wasted, there is nothing to celebrate, only another repetition of failure,” he said.
