…as Minister Persaud pledges support for sector to produce world-class meat
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud yesterday formally launched the National Animal Breed-enhancement Programme of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), with a pledge from government to continue  providing the financial support necessary to ensure that the sector produces “world-class meat” for regional and international markets within the very near future. The programme aims at helping farmers produce herds of cows capable of producing high-quality meat, effectively modernising the industry so it can capitalise on the large export markets which exist.
Farmers will be able to access breeding materials for such higher grade animals from the GLDA free of charge.
The programme also targets small ruminants such as sheep, goats, and pigs, for similar enhancement.
The launching was done at the GLDA’s headquarters at Mon Repos East Coast Demerara, in the presence of diplomats, local senior agricultural officers and technicians, students of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA),  and cattle farmers from local cattle producing regions.
Chaired by Chief Executive Officer of the GLDA, Dr. Dindyal Persaud, the programme comprised addresses by Minister Persaud; Dr. Nicholas Waldron of the Board of the GLDA ; Mr. Nigel Cumberbatch, Livestock Cluster Manager in the Agricultural Sector Development Unit;  and Mr. Ignatius Jean , Inter American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) representative in Guyana.
In his address, Minister Persaud disclosed that government has to date spent  $50M on the cattle breed-enhancement programme and  has also committed an additional $253M to bringing in live superior animals, establishing a state-of the-art breeding station at Mon Repos, and other interventions to achieve genetic improvement of local herds.
He stressed: “We are bringing in these breeds because we want our farmers to have access to the best animals out there, so that within a given period, you cannot only get  high levels of carcass weight, but also the type of  world-class beef that the export market wants. We want all our farmers to fully realise the business potential of the livestock sector.”
He disclosed that government envisages that the cattle sector will be able to produce exports of beef to the sum of US$2.5M by 2013, and will have reached exports to the sum of US$25M by 2020.
He noted that Guyana also has the potential to be a major exporter of poultry meat, and that this capability, added to production and export of other meat, such as pork and mutton, could in time reap earnings of over US$75M to the  immeasurable benefit of  the sector and the people in it.
With respect to the overall status of the industry, he  said that the breed-enhancement programme addresses the issue of quality of  animals, but farmers needed to address the issue of quantity.
”We do not have enough cattle to make our export marketing plans sustainable,” he said.
He urged farmers to ensure a 25 to 35% increase in the local cattle population by the year 2013, to ensure that the exports can begin and are sustained.
He added, “There is a vast sea of opportunities out there for us in the livestock sector, and government is committed to supporting the livestock sector to allow our farmers to benefit from these opportunities.”
Addressing issues affecting the industry, he warned the livestock farmers that they needed to address the issues of pasturage and where they graze their animals.
“The days when we send our animals to graze anywhere, anytime any place that we feel like, are over.”
He disclosed that the GLDA has been working with Local Government bodies and other community organisations to ensure that lands are made available for cattle rearing, and that zoning of cattle is put in place to ensure maximum utilisation of those lands and not others not so identified.
“With these advanced specialised animals out there, it cannot be business as usual,” he said.
He added that government was aware of the problem of cattle rustling and will work with stakeholders and the police to address this problem in the livestock sector in a holistic and systematic way.
Dr. Nicholas Waldron urged the farmers to take full advantage of the technology the GLDA has to offer.
Livestock Cluster Manager Cumberbatch disclosed that beef cluster within the livestock cluster has been working in the Agricultural Export Diversification Programme towards exports of beef to CARICOM and other markets farther afield.
He outlined several related activities being undertaken by the beef cluster and stressed that all were on schedule towards the export of beef in the not too distant future.
IICA representative to Guyana, Mr. Ignatius Jean said that the effort to modernise the livestock sector through the breed enhancement programme was timely, given the high standards required of beef sold on external markets.
It also addressed concerns about the food security situation in the Caribbean.
He said that IICA was committed to providing support to the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture in its efforts towards modernising the agricultural sector in Guyana