Presidential Candidate of the APNU, Aubrey Norton, on Friday assured that there will be no loss of jobs in the sugar industry, as he unveiled plans to diversify the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) should A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) forms the next government.
Under the APNU+AFC Government, thousands of sugar workers lost their jobs between 2017 and 2018, as the then Government moved to “right-size” and diversify the Sugar Industry to increase its viability.
On Friday, Mr. Norton told reporters that while it is necessary to diversify the operations of the Sugar Corporation, there will be no job cuts.
“Not one sugar worker will be fired. What we are seeking to do is to refashion the industry, retrain sugar workers, so that they can be utilized in new ventures. On the question of closing sugar estates, it is well known that the PPP closed the most sugar estates than us, though they tried to say something different. On the issue of closing sugar estates, I don’t want to pronounce on that at this stage, again, it is dependent on you getting in there, seeing the options and then decide whether we need to close more or we need to continue with what exist and improve them. But, the bottom line as a policy decision is that we do not have the intention of firing workers,” Norton said.
He said not only will GuySuCo retain existing jobs, but there will be new jobs, and job opportunities, and improved working conditions.
His party’s plans to “revitalize” and “refashion” GuySuCo include housing development, aquaculture, and food production.
“We will diversify its portfolio by using its assets such as its lands and workforce for new business ventures including aquaculture, food crops, manufacturing, and housing development. For us therefore, GuySuCo need not remain exclusively an agriculture-based entity. With investment in training and equipment for instance, GuySuCo can become one of the largest builders of homes and communities in Guyana,” Norton explained.
He said in addition to the production of raw and processed sugar, there is also great potential for ethanol, livestock feed and co-generation of electricity.
Norton said in exploring these business ventures, an Administration under his leadership, would engage in both public and private partnerships to ensure the viability of the corporation.
“If privatization is going to make it viable, we will but at this stage, I don’t think we have done an assessment to decide whether we will privatize it,” Norton said.
With the proposed reforms and adequate investments, Norton said he believes GuySuCo could become a net contributor to national revenue rather than “drain on the nation’s resources.”
In 2024, GuySuCo produced over 47,000 tons of sugar, which represented a 21% shortfall in production.
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