GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Nov 5, CMC – The Ministry of Agriculture has rejected allegations that millions of dollars’ worth of agrochemicals have gone missing from the Uitvlugt Estate, saying its latest weekly stock count found no discrepancy.
The Ministry, in a statement on Thursday, said a physical count conducted on October 29 by the Stores Superintendent, the Superintendent responsible for chemical weed control and security personnel recorded no variance in stock.
The statement followed allegations by Opposition Member of Parliament Vinceroy Jordan, who claimed that millions of dollars’ worth of agrochemicals had disappeared from the estate’s bond and called on the Government, the Ministry and the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to account for the supplies.
However, the Ministry said the allegation was unverified and contradicted by the estate’s stock records and inventory controls.
“The most important safeguard is the weekly stock count…. The most recent count was conducted on Thursday, October 29. There was no variance,” it said.
“If millions of dollars’ worth of agrochemicals had left the Uitvlugt bond unaccounted for, it would have shown up in the count. It did not. The records exist and are available.”
The Ministry also outlined the security arrangements governing access to the agrochemicals, explaining that herbicides are stored in a controlled bond operated under a dual-locking system.
“Stores personnel cannot open it without security, and security cannot open it without stores personnel,” the statement said, adding that no single individual could enter the bond alone.
Before any herbicide is issued, an electronic requisition must be completed and approved by the Agriculture Manager. Daily distributions are witnessed by stores personnel, senior staff, the farm manager, field superintendent and security officers.
Only a day’s supply of herbicide is transferred from the general stores to the day bond, while usage is monitored and recorded daily. Any unused chemicals returned from cultivation are also documented.
The Ministry said chemicals issued to cane farmers are distributed only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, following approval and signatures from the Cane Farming Manager, Agriculture Manager, Finance Manager and Estate Manager.
It maintained that the multiple layers of authorisation, supervision and record-keeping were designed to prevent unauthorised removal of supplies.
The Ministry also disclosed that it was aware the allegation appeared to have originated from an individual who is the subject of an internal administrative matter at the estate.
It did not provide further details, saying it would not address that matter publicly. However, it cautioned against accepting allegations at face value, particularly when they were directed at management by someone facing internal action.
“No worker will be victimised for raising a genuine concern,” the Ministry said, while noting that raising a concern was not the same as proving one.
It acknowledged that GuySuCo’s control systems could be improved and said management had reminded security personnel of the importance of complete and accurate record-keeping.
“Any lapses in documentation will be addressed administratively,” the statement said, adding that such shortcomings did not constitute evidence that chemicals had gone missing.
The Ministry maintained that public resources at GuySuCo were subject to documented and verifiable controls and said it would not allow unverified allegations to undermine confidence in the sugar industry.
CMC/ed/2026