Jamaican News

Guyana to cut sugarcane planting by half amid drought

sugar cane

GEORGETOWN, Guyana _ Guyana’s state-owned sugar corporation says it will cut back on sugarcane planting by 50 per cent amid a worsening drought.

Company spokesman Ray Sangster says it makes no sense to invest in new plants because current ones are withering given the lack of significant rainfall since September. He said Monday that the decision will have a severe impact on production starting next year.

This year’s estimated production of 240,000 metric tons (265,000 tons) of sugar remains on target.

Guyana is the largest sugar-producing country in the Caribbean Community trade bloc, but it has seen a steady drop in production blamed on bad weather, labour shortage and industrial strikes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *