Agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors grew by 11% in 2024 – Dr. Singh

Guyana’s agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors experienced an 11 per cent growth in 2024. Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh made this announcement during the presentation of Budget 2025 on Friday.

“This performance is mainly attributed to increases in rice, other crops, and livestock, with similar growth in forestry and fishing. These gains more than offset the contraction recorded in the sugar industry,” Dr. Singh stated.

Despite the overall growth, the sugar industry faced a setback, with an estimated contraction of 21.8 per cent in 2024. The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) produced only 47,103 metric tonnes of sugar during the year, attributed to the dual challenges of El Niño weather patterns and labour shortages across the industry.

RICE

The rice sector emerged as a key driver of agricultural growth, with an impressive 9.3 per cent expansion. According to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), rice production reached 725,282 metric tonnes in 2024, a sharp increase from the previous year.

Enhanced yields, which rose to 6.6 metric tonnes per hectare from 6.3 metric tonnes in 2023, played a major role in this growth, with some regions reporting yields exceeding seven metric tonnes per hectare.

Other crops also recorded a robust 10.9 per cent growth, with expansions in vegetables, fruits, root crops, coconuts, spices, and cereals. Corn and soya production stood out with notable increases of 154.8 per cent and 129.2 per cent, respectively, supported by significant investments in the subsector.

LIVESTOCK AND FISHING INDUSTRIES

The Minister noted that the livestock industry showed strong performance with a 24.6 per cent expansion. Growth was observed across all subcategories, including poultry (31%), pork (35.3%), beef (6.9%), eggs (7.6%), and milk (6.4%).

Dr. Singh credited this growth to reduced poultry mortality rates following widespread vaccination, increased distribution of baby chicks, and advancements in breeding programmes.The fishing industry grew by an estimated 1 per cent, with notable gains in aquaculture production (13.7%), driven by a 19.1 per cent increase in brackish water shrimp production.

Marine production also expanded, with an 8.5 per cent increase in shrimp outweighing a 2.2 per cent decline in fish production.

FORESTRY SECTOR

The forestry sector grew by 4.6 per cent, bolstered by increased production of logs, roundwood, and sawn wood.