Calls grow on social media for Guyana to ban sand exports
A campaign calling for a ban on the export of Guyana’s sand is gaining traction on social media, with graphics urging Guyanese at home and abroad to “join the call” circulating in Facebook groups this week.
The campaign’s message is straightforward: Guyana’s sand — a finite natural resource — is being dug up and shipped out of the country, and ordinary Guyanese are questioning who benefits.
At the heart of the complaints are two grievances. First, local truck drivers and small operators say foreign companies are securing the bulk of sand concessions and licences while Guyanese are left behind. One widely shared post put it bluntly: local truckers are “crying” while “Chinese businesses are getting all the sand concessions.”
Second, there are environmental concerns about open-pit sand mining itself — the excavated pits, dust, and land degradation visible in mining areas.
The export trade is real. Guyana’s sand is in demand across the region. In Antigua, the Cabinet recently restricted sand mining on Barbuda and banned its export, and moved to waive duties on sand imported from Guyana, Dominica and Montserrat instead — a shift the Antigua Observer linked to the “sugar white Guyanese sand” now appearing there.
The government has acknowledged pressure in the sector before. In March 2024, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo announced a halt on the issuance of new sandpit licences, citing the need for land for the Silica City development and concerns over inflated sand prices.
More recently, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat pointed to “exponential increases” in sand production as the construction boom drives demand.
Enforcement has also tightened around illegal extraction. The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission has in recent weeks reported seizures of dredges and equipment in operations against illegal mining along the country’s rivers.
What the campaign has not produced — at least not yet — is any official move toward an export ban. No government statement or policy proposal for banning sand exports has been reported.
For now, the “ban sand export” call remains a social-media advocacy push: a sign of public unease about who profits from Guyana’s natural resources as the country’s construction and extractive sectors boom.
592 News will continue to follow this story.
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