Thousands of low-income families will receive expanded assistance next year as the government doubles its Food Voucher Programme in 2026, Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced Thursday during the presentation of the national budget.
Browne said the move is part of the administration’s commitment to easing cost-of-living pressures on vulnerable households, including the elderly, unemployed, and families facing economic hardship. He noted that the expanded programme will provide wider coverage and greater monthly support at a time when global prices, while easing, continue to affect household budgets.
“This government will double the food voucher programme next year,” Browne told Parliament, outlining the measure as one of the budget’s central social protection initiatives. The programme has long served as a critical lifeline for low-income families who struggle with grocery bills, and the expansion is expected to reach thousands more.
Browne said nearly 7,000 pensioners and 1,674 vulnerable households currently benefit from a combination of social assistance measures, including utility subsidies, food support and targeted financial aid. He said none of these programmes will be reduced in 2026; instead, the government will strengthen them to ensure “no household is left behind.”
The Prime Minister said the relief forms part of a wider cost-of-living strategy that includes suspending the 42 percent Common External Tariff on selected food imports, continuing LPG and electricity subsidies, and maintaining ABST zero-rating on several essential goods.
He noted that inflation has already dropped sharply to 1.4 percent and even turned negative in September, but acknowledged that many families still feel the weight of high prices after three years of global volatility.
The government is also deepening its agricultural push and strengthening its partnership with Guyana to import more affordable staples, both of which Browne says will help anchor food prices in 2026.
Budget debate continues next week.
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