– with $13.4 B investment in 2026

Restoring GuySuCo to financial stability and long-term sustainability remains a top government priority, with $13.4 billion allocated in the 2026 Budget to drive major transformation within the sugar sector.

This year’s investment will focus on mechanisation, factory upgrades, value-added production, and workforce development, aiming to boost productivity and create higher-skilled jobs across Guyana’s sugar estates.

Over the past five years, the sector has seen significant progress, including the reopening of the Rose Hall Estate and extensive upgrades to field and factory infrastructure at Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall, and Uitvlugt. 

These improvements have revitalised rural economies and strengthened the industry’s foundation. Today, GuySuCo employers over 8,300 persons.

In 2025, the Albion packaging plant began operations and new machinery, including two mechanical harvesters, was introduced. 

Other upgrades included over 100 new cane punts, key factory and field facilities, and more than five kilometers of improved access roads, while mechanized planting and harvesting continue to expand across major estates.

During his presentation of Budget 2026 under the theme ‘Putting People First’, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh outlined the government’s plan for further development of the sector.

“Over the next five years, the objective is to: continue mechanisation of field operations through land conversion; improve mechanical planting and harvesting; modernise factories and improve factory operations; promote high-yielding and high-value cane varieties; invest in value-added production including with private sector participation; improve worker, union, and management relations while transitioning workers to higher skilled roles,” he said.

As outlined in the 2025 Manifesto, the government’s long-term strategy is to transform GuySuCo into an agro-industrial hub that drives rural economic development. 

The modernisation drive continues in 2026, with substantial investments to further enhance mechanisation.

“In 2026, over 3,000 hectares are targeted to be converted for mechanised harvesting. In addition, we will: replace three sugar boilers; procure five cane harvesters; construct a conveyor system for billet canes amongst other critical investments,” the finance minister said.

Despite challenges in 2025, including heavy rainfall, labor shortages, and machinery issues, the sector grew by 26.5 percent, producing 59,600 tonnes. 

These efforts reflect a commitment to modernising agriculture, supporting rural communities, and building a sustainable, value-added sugar economy.