Guyana’s economy experienced a slowdown in 2017, with the growth rate sliding to about 2 percent, compared with 3.3 percent in 2016. (Table 1). Sugar production fell by about 25 percent to 137,000 tons, reflecting industrial action in response to restructuring of the industry. The mining sector also showed a significant decline because of a flattening in gold output in 2017 compared to the massive increase in the previous year. On the other hand, there was a pickup in growth in selected agricultural products, mainly rice, as well as in the forestry and fishing industries. Growth in these areas offset falling production in the sugar and livestock industries. Production in the rice industry grew by about 18 percent, reaching 630,000 tons. This improvement reflected an increase in the acreage planted in both the Spring and Autumn crops, as well as an enhancement in yield.
Published Date: July 2018
Authors: M. DaCosta, K. Dublin, and S. Williams
Full Paper
JUL
2018