‘We don’t want to do business with them anymore’ – 30 companies disqualified from agriculture contracts

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha told the Committee of Supply on Tuesday that his ministry has moved to blacklist about 30 local contractors from receiving future work in the agriculture sector, citing delinquency and poor performance.

Mustapha’s disclosure came during questioning on National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) works, including pump station projects.

According to the minister, in the last quarter of 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture wrote to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) with a list of contractors the ministry no longer wants to engage, describing them as delinquent.

He did not read the full list into the record during the exchange.

Publicly, government officials have previously acknowledged that blacklisting/debarment is not done unilaterally by ministries, but involves procurement authorities and established processes.

The issue surfaced as members questioned the delayed Belle Vue Pump Station project on the West Bank Demerara, a major drainage and irrigation investment intended to reduce flooding impacts.

The project became controversial after it was awarded to Tepui Group Inc. for roughly $865 million. By mid-2025, an arrangement was reached for Gaico Engineering to complete the works as a subcontractor under the original contract framework.

In Tuesday’s sitting, Mustapha was asked whether any work had been done by Tepui prior to subcontracting. He responded that excavation work had been carried out and said the original contract allowed subcontracting. He also stated that, from the ministry’s standpoint, Tepui remains the party ultimately responsible for delivery, noting that performance security mechanisms (such as bonds) provide avenues for cost recovery if obligations are not met.

Mustapha’s remarks align with a broader national message in recent years about tightening consequences for contractors who miss deadlines or fail to perform, including termination and the use of liquidated damages where applicable.