HGP Nightly News – In a presentation grounded in personal experience, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament Vishnu Panday delivered a pointed critique of the management of Guyana’s sugar industry during the 2026 budget debates, attributing its decline to the appointment of unqualified political loyalists rather than a lack of financial resources.
Mr. Panday, who serves as his party’s Shadow Minister for Agriculture, opened his remarks by referencing his own past role in the sector, claiming he was personally recalled to help steward production. He noted that a subsequent output of 60,000 tons of sugar under his involvement has not been surpassed since the current administration took office in 2020.”
The selection and appointment of PPP political loyalists has been uppermost in the agenda of the government,” Panday asserted, framing this as the primary cause of the industry’s deterioration. He argued that individuals without relevant expertise or experience have been placed in charge of one of the nation’s most complex agricultural enterprises.
To substantiate his claim, the MP cited a widespread management theory, stating, “When good people become scarce, the best system dwindles.” He applied this principle directly to GuySuCo, alleging that within the first six months of the current administration, nine top executives with a combined 261 years of service were removed from their positions.
Panday questioned the qualifications of their replacements, suggesting they lacked fundamental agricultural knowledge. “They don’t understand the difference between a leaf sheet and a mid-rib of the cane plant,” he stated, using the example to illustrate his argument that technical incompetence at the leadership level has led to operational failure.
His analysis positioned the sugar industry’s struggles as a crisis of governance and meritocracy, rather than simply a financial or market challenge. The presentation called into question the effectiveness of budgetary allocations to the sector, implying that without competent management, increased funding would not yield improved results.
