Guyana Agriculture Grew 11.5% in 2025 but Dipped 0.5% in Early 2026
GUYANA · AGRICULTURE
Key Facts
- —The country Guyana is a South American country of about 800,000 people. Oil has made it one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but rice and sugar were its economic base for generations.
- —The background The government has raised the agriculture budget from about G$18.4 billion (about US$88 million) in 2020 to G$113.2 billion (about US$541 million) in 2026, more than six times as much.
- —Why now Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha opened Agriculture Month 2026 by setting out what that spending has bought.
- —What happened Mustapha said the sector recorded 11.5 per cent growth in 2025, the Guyana Chronicle reported on 1 October 2026.
- —The catch The government’s Mid-Year Report shows agriculture, forestry and fishing shrank 0.5 per cent in the first half of 2026, after heavy rain damaged crops.
- —What it means for you Guyana sells rice and other food to Caribbean neighbours, so its harvests matter for the region’s food supply.
- —Still open Rice, sugar and livestock grew this year. Whether the whole sector ends 2026 up or down depends on the second-half harvests.
Guyana agriculture grew 11.5 per cent in 2025, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said at the launch of Agriculture Month 2026. The Guyana Chronicle, the state-owned daily, reported his figures on 1 October.
The number describes last year, and this year started weaker. The combined agriculture, forestry and fishing sector shrank 0.5 per cent in the first half of 2026 as heavy rain damaged crops.
What the minister said
“Guyana is growing and the agriculture sector is growing,” Mustapha said. He pointed to new jobs, higher productivity and more young people and women in farming.
Rice output rose from about 500,000 tonnes in 2020 to 810,000 tonnes in 2025, an increase of about 60 per cent. Rice is Guyana’s main food crop and a leading export to its Caribbean neighbours.
The Caribbean treats 15 foods as priorities for regional food security. Guyana’s output of them reached about 1.8 million tonnes in 2025, up from 1.41 million tonnes in 2020.
Agro-processors now make more than 4,000 products, the minister said, and farmers are adopting precision irrigation and mobile apps. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Innovate, Nourish, Grow”.
Where the money went
The growth follows a large rise in public spending. The agriculture budget went from about G$18.4 billion (about US$88 million) in 2020 to G$113.2 billion (about US$541 million) in 2026.
Those conversions use the Bank of Guyana’s 1 October rate of about 209 Guyana dollars per US dollar. That is more than six times as much in six years.
In a September interview with the Chronicle, Mustapha said corn production had risen by more than 330 per cent since 2020. Poultry output roughly doubled over the same period, from 43,736 tonnes to 91,382 tonnes.
The ministry requires its projects to include at least 35 per cent women and young people. The Chronicle reported that the target has been exceeded.
The first half of 2026
The government’s own Mid-Year Report tells a more mixed story. Agriculture, forestry and fishing together contracted 0.5 per cent in the first six months of 2026.
The Chronicle described the sector as “held back by heavy rainfall that damaged other crops”. Within it, sugar output rose 19.3 per cent and rice 4.4 per cent, President Irfaan Ali said in mid-September.
Livestock grew an estimated 17.5 per cent, led by poultry and a near doubling of pork output. Forestry and fishing also grew, the Chronicle reported on 17 September.
The losses were therefore concentrated in what the report calls other crops, while the main export lines kept growing.
Volume is not income, though. In July the government paid rice farmers cash grants after a slump in paddy prices, the Rio Times reported.
Oil changes the yardstick
Guyana’s whole economy grew an estimated 33.3 per cent in the first half of 2026, Ali said. The non-oil economy grew 10.1 per cent, so a 0.5 per cent dip in farming looks small.
It still matters, because farming reaches rural communities that the offshore oil industry does not. The minister himself spoke of “stronger rural communities being built”.
The dip also shows the limit of spending. A budget six times larger can buy machines, drainage and seed, but it cannot stop the rain.
What comes next
Mustapha called for a sector that is “innovative, resilient, competitive and inclusive”. Guyana also backs a regional goal to cut the Caribbean’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.
That goal belongs to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the regional bloc of 15 member states. Guyana’s government presents the country as the region’s leader on food security.
The 11.5 per cent figure is not a 2026 result. Nor is the first-half dip a collapse: rice, sugar and livestock all grew, and the full-year result depends on the second-half harvests.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is Guyana’s agriculture growing?
The agriculture minister says the sector grew 11.5 per cent in 2025. In the first half of 2026, the combined agriculture, forestry and fishing sector shrank 0.5 per cent, according to the government’s Mid-Year Report.
Why did farming shrink in early 2026?
Heavy rainfall damaged what the report calls other crops, outside rice and sugar. Sugar, rice and livestock all grew in the same period, by 19.3, 4.4 and 17.5 per cent respectively.
How much rice does Guyana produce?
About 810,000 tonnes in 2025, up from about 500,000 tonnes in 2020, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
What is Agriculture Month in Guyana?
It is the government’s annual month-long campaign promoting farming and food production. The 2026 theme is “Innovate, Nourish, Grow: Building a Strong and Sustainable Guyana”.
Sources: Guyana Chronicle, Guyana targets stronger food security through agricultural innovation, 1 October 2026, Ministry of Agriculture, 3 February 2026, Guyana Chronicle, livestock and the 2026 Mid-Year Report, 15 September 2026, Caribbean National Weekly, Guyana economy grows 33.3% in first half of 2026, 15 September 2026, Guyana Chronicle, Transforming growth into a better Guyana, 17 September 2026, Bank of Guyana, exchange rates as at 1 October 2026 (buying 207.98, selling 210.45 Guyana dollars per US dollar). All retrieved 2 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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