MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad has given the assurance that every effort is being made to guarantee that chicken and eggs are available on the local market at affordable prices. He gave the undertaking at a media briefing in his South Road, Georgetown office, last week, when he addressed concerns raised over the continued shortage of chicken and the increasing cost to consumers.
Prashad noted that a statement, issued by the Poultry Producers Association (PPA), indicated that the shortfall was due to a deficit in the production of hatching eggs by one major importer.
He said: “This was the reason, whether this is true or not, as a responsible government, we need to take every action necessary to make sure that chicken is available on the local market at affordable prices, as Guyanese consume just over one million pounds per week and we have to make that available at affordable prices.”
To ensure that an adequate supply is available to consumers, the Commerce Ministry has granted 11 licences to small importers and according to Minister Prashad, the grants will continue until the situation is back to normal.
“So far, chicken is being imported into the country, the price has not reduced to the level it was before the shortfall, but we will continue giving licences to importers until we see a situation of normalcy and we will continue engaging the PPA and the hatcheries, as we want to encourage them to produce locally,” Prashad explained.
He said, too, that the status will be monitored closely to guarantee that the supply will be normalised by Christmas.
Alluding to the guarantee by the PPA that, by the end of September, there will be a surplus of chicken and stabilisation in prices, the minister said he has confidence in the statement and assured that his ministry will continue to work closely with that body to achieve that objective.
According to Prashad, local production is always encouraged but, at the end of the day, satisfying the citizens’ needs is of paramount importance.
“We have to look at people’s needs and make sure, as a responsible Government, we satisfy those needs,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Mr. David Fernandez of the PPA, in a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, maintained that the price for chicken is expected to even out by the end of this month.
He said: “Things should be back to normal by then. As we had promised, things still stand the same way. The PPA will be working towards this.”
A check on the local market in Georgetown revealed that consumers are now paying between $900 and $1,100 per tray for eggs, as compared the $600 to $700 range charged a few weeks ago and between $325 and $450 per pound for chicken, in comparison to $300 previously.