–trial project of 250 acres corn, soybeans nearing commencement, says ‘Agri’ Minister
INVESTMENTS in Guyana’s poultry industry have increased exponentially over the past year, with available statistics showing that private injections into this industry have surpassed more than US$67 million ($14.4 billion).
Traditionally, the demand for outputs from the poultry industry has always been high, but the zero-rating of this commodity and other adjustments, between August and now, have created the conditions for wider investments and more lucrative results.
It was announced late last year that there will be no Value Added Tax (VAT) on fertilisers, agrochemicals, pesticides and key inputs in the poultry sector including poultry feed, building materials and packaging. The government also gave the poultry industry zero-rated VAT status.
Since those adjustments, there has been a stark increase in investments in this industry, with about 500 new farmers getting into poultry farming between August and December, 2020, alone.
This increased interest in the industry augurs well for Guyana, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha had said, adding that it will supplement the growth stemming from the country’s oil-and-gas sector.
Let alone poultry, some US$3.3 million was invested into beef production and US$670,000 into small ruminants, predominantly sheep and goats. The livestock sub-sector contributes approximately 13.6 per cent of the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 2.8 per cent of the total GDP. Livestock is commonly defined as domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce labour and commodities such as meat, eggs and milk, among other things.
In this Region, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has predicted that the demand for food will increase by 50 per cent by 2030 and 70 per cent by 2050. And, according to the FAO, livestock production constitutes a very important component of the agricultural economy of developing countries, a contribution that goes beyond direct food production to include multipurpose uses, such as skins, fibre, fertiliser and fuel, as well as capital accumulation.
Furthermore, livestock are closely linked to the social and cultural lives of several million resource-poor farmers, for whom animal ownership ensures varying degrees of sustainable farming and economic stability.
Considering the potential of the livestock industry, the government has taken steps to not just encourage direct investments, but to also initiate the production of feed material locally.
Minister Mustapha told the Sunday Chronicle that the government is investing $500 million to enhance the infrastructure in the intermediate savannahs, so that the private sector would be able to invest in corn and soy beans.
“If we can produce the amount of corn and soya beans required to become self-sufficient in proteins for our poultry industry, those funds can be used to further develop the sector. As a government, we are also working to reduce Guyana’s food import-bill and food-import dependency,” Minister Mustapha had said.
Guyana’s national feed consumption for the poultry industry is 113,000 tonnes annually, with ‘broilers’ consuming approximately 100,000 tonnes of feed, and ‘layers’ consuming approximately 13,000 tonnes of feed annually.
This feed comprises 60 per cent gain (corn and rice), which is equivalent to approximately 68,000 tonnes, and 30 per cent soya bean meal, which is equivalent to approximately 34,000 tonnes per year. Dependence on the importation of feed material could soon be reduced significantly, since the $500 million investment is already clearing the way for the commencement of a trial project which encompasses the cultivation of 250 acres of corn and soy bean.
It was reported recently that six local companies and a regional firm have joined together to undertake a massive project that could see Guyana on the path to becoming self-sufficient in corn and soya bean over the next few years.
The owners of Guyana Stock Feed Ltd., Royal Chicken, Edun Farms, SBM Wood, Dubulay Ranch, and Bounty Farm Ltd., along with the Brazilian-owned N F Agriculture, have partnered to produce soya bean and corn for both the local and regional markets.
The seven-member team has been aggressively engaging the relevant bodies, and is expected to commence this massive project within the next few months.
