Guyana’s bauxite industry continues to be “stagnated” and facing “serious challenges” despite an increase in exports, according to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud.
In a written response to questions put to him by Stabroek Business, Persaud said that between 2010 and 2013 there had been an increase of approximately 500,000 metric tonnes of bauxite produced locally and this is expected to increase, based on the demand for high-quality bauxite from Guyana which is sometimes used for blending purposes by other exporting countries.
He said that while other metals and alloys had flooded the international market the demand for primary alumina was likely to create new opportunities and potential for Guyana’s bauxite.
The minister’s assessment of the state of the bauxite industry in Guyana would appear to suggest that the country is pinning its short to medium-term hopes for increased global market share on the fact that in January last year, Indonesia, up to then the fourth largest producer of bauxite in the world, banned the export of its unprocessed ores, reportedly as
