Vishnu Panday, Member of Parliament for the WIN party and former Executive Manager of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), has strongly criticized the government for what he describes as ongoing mismanagement of the sugar industry. He is demanding transparency regarding the financial allocations to GuySuCo and how the funds have been utilized.
In a letter to the press, Panday expressed frustration over unrealistic production targets set by the government, particularly in light of adverse weather conditions. He referred to a directive from the President for GuySuCo to produce 100,000 tons of sugar in one year, despite the company’s budget allocation for only 73,000 tons. This ambitious target came during a prolonged drought that began in 2023 and lasted until April of the following year.
Panday further alleged that a “selected” contractor was paid $21 million upfront to import seed cane materials from Brazil, but only $5 million worth of materials were received, much of which was disease-ridden and planted at Rose Hall Estate.
He asserted that political interference continues to hinder the progress of the sugar industry, citing the decline in sugar production from 88,000 tons in 2020 to just 47,000 tons in 2022 under the CEO, a political appointee. He noted some improvement in 2023, with production reaching 60,000 tons, a figure he claims was achieved during his tenure as Agriculture Director, rather than through government interventions.
Panday also criticized the government’s expenditure on consultants from India and Cuba over the past two years, claiming that these investments have yielded no tangible results.
Regarding the reopening of the Rose Hall Estate, he described it as a “sham,” revealing that only half of the estate’s original 6,000 hectares are currently in cultivation since its reopening.
He challenged the government’s claims of investing over $50 billion into the sugar industry since taking office, questioning where the funds have gone and demanding accountability for the billions owed to various entities, including the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), unions, and numerous local and overseas suppliers.
“The President must provide details on financial accountability and explain how these debts have accumulated,” Panday stated.
