Dear Editor,
I write with a mixture of fury and hopelessness as yet another sugar crop season unravels before our very eyes in 2026. According to data I have obtained from an insider, it has confirmed what many of us have long suspected: GuySuCo, under the continued leadership of Mr. Paul Cheong, has descended into a state of complete and utter dysfunction. This is not an opinion—it is a mathematical fact.
Let me state this as bluntly as possible: Mr. Paul Cheong has now failed GuySuCo for three consecutive years. Three years of missed targets. Three years of broken promises. Three years of over $50 billion in subsidies and yet GuySuCo has not been able to produce more than 59,000 Metric Tons (MT) of sugar in any of these years. And yet, inexplicably, he remains in his position.
The first crop of 2026 fell short by a staggering 10,345 metric tonnes—or 35 percent below target (see below). Allow me to put that in perspective. If the manager of Banks DIH, or any private sector entity missed their production target by 35 percent, they would be escorted out of the building before the sun set. They would not be allowed to issue a press release. They would not be given a third chance. They would be gone. But Mr. Cheong enjoys a level of job security that is utterly baffling to every hardworking Guyanese who struggles to make ends meet.
Now, let us turn to the second crop—and brace yourselves, because the numbers are damning.
GuySuCo projects it will produce 39,106 metric tonnes in the second crop according to the data I have seen produced by the Corporation. I am here to tell you, with absolute certainty, that this target is mathematically impossible. There are only 16 weeks remaining before the December rains and the Christmas exodus of workers which is a customary norm as they move to sell in the Christmas markets. But here is the kicker: none of the four factories are ready to grind as at August 4, 2026. Critical parts have not arrived because of infighting in the procurement process—a euphemism, I suspect, for sheer incompetence. Damaged old parts are being patched up and reinstalled because replacements will not arrive until September 2026. This is not management; this is amateur hour.
Insiders have confirmed that no factory will start before August 15, 2026. That leaves us with just 15 weeks of actual crushing time. Industry technicians have told me that even under optimal dry conditions, GuySuCo cannot produce more than 2,000 metric tonnes per week. Do the math, dear reader: 15 weeks multiplied by 2,000 tonnes equals 30,000 tonnes. That is a full 9,000 tonnes short of the projection—and that is assuming everything goes perfectly, which, under Mr. Cheong’s watch, it never does.
So let me ask the question that the Minister of Agriculture and the President seem too timid to pose: How, exactly, does Mr. Cheong plan to produce 39,000 tonnes when the factories are not even running and the clock is ticking?
The answer, of course, is that he cannot. And when the inevitable failure comes, we will be treated to the same tired litany of excuses: the weather, mechanical breakdowns, the workers, the cane quality—anything and everything.
Mr. Cheong has demonstrated, over three long years, that he lacks the operational expertise, the strategic foresight, and the leadership to turn this corporation around.
And yet, President Irfaan Ali and Minister Zulfikar Mustapha continue to protect him. Where is the accountability? Where are the “heads that will roll”? They were warned. The writing has been on the wall for years. But instead of decisive action, we get silence. Instead of new leadership, we get more of the same. This is not governance; it is willful negligence.
I call on the President and the Minister to do their duty. Remove Mr. Paul Cheong immediately. Dissolve the Board of Directors if necessary. Bring in competent, experienced professionals—from India, from Brazil, from anywhere—who understand that sugar is not a hobby but a business. This endless cycle of failure and excuses under Mr. Paul Cheong must stop!
While GuySuCo said it shall produce 58,137 MT of sugar for 2026, brace yourself for 55,000 MT or less.
Yours sincerely,
Lancelot Hyman
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