–moves closer to self-sufficiency with success of ‘hatching industry,’ Minister Mustapha says

AS Guyana works aggressively to meet its 2025 food production targets, the country is on the brink of achieving self-sufficiency in egg production backed by strategic initiatives and visionary leadership that promises to redefine its role not only domestically, but also regionally.

During a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, shed light on the monumental progress made in Guyana’s poultry sector.

Guyana imports about 53 million eggs annually, incurring a cost of $350 million. However, since the inception of the breeder programme in 2023, with a budget allocation of $50 million, Guyana has made remarkable progress in poultry production.
“This is a tremendous achievement for us because for the first time in the history of our country, we are able to produce hatching eggs,” he said.

Minister Mustapha noted that the initiative has already yielded impressive results, with over 27,000 hatching eggs produced in collaboration with the private sector.

Building on this success, the government aims to double production and further enhance the sector’s capacity this year.
Reflecting on the inception of the breeder programme, Minister Mustapha remarked: “We started that programme last year. We had money in our budget last year, and we started that.”

This strategic investment has laid the foundation for a series of ground-breaking initiatives aimed at reducing dependence on imported hatching eggs and bolstering local production capacity.

“Last year, we partnered with one of the private sector members, and we produced over 27,000 hatching eggs,” Minister Mustapha said, highlighting that these collaborative efforts, like the corn and soya programme, have not only enhanced feed manufacturing capabilities but also paved the way for a more sustainable and resilient poultry industry.

The minister highlighted the government’s intention to collaborate with private individuals to establish tunnel houses penning which will be a cooler structure for the birds.
He added: “That programme will continue this year. I am hoping this year we can double that production or even more after that. The programme has started, it is going very well. We have breeders in the country, and they are now producing the eggs.”

Minster Mustapha said this is in keeping with President Irfaan Ali’s vision of inclusive development.
It is exemplified through initiatives like the Hatching Eggs Project, which seeks to empower communities and drive economic growth at the grassroots level.

In March 2022, President Ali made it clear that his government will work with communities like St Cuthbert’s Mission to be part of the massive project.
His ambition to position Guyana as a regional hub for hatching egg production signified a paradigm shift in agricultural dynamics.

Minister Mustapha elaborated on this vision, stating: “We are also working on a programme now where we will create the hatching eggs right in Guyana.”
By harnessing the nation’s potential, Guyana aims to not only meet domestic demand but also emerge as a key player in the Caribbean region, offering a viable alternative to imported hatching eggs.

He said that the impacts of these developments extend beyond Guyana’s borders, benefitting the wider Caribbean region.
With the establishment of local hatching egg production facilities, he said, neighbouring countries will have access to a reliable and cost-effective source of poultry products.

“I am hoping, in time to come, we can produce all our hatching eggs… We are talking about reducing the food import bill by 25 per cent by the end of next year, all these will contribute to reducing the food import bill.
“With our food bill reduced, we can utilise the money that we’ve been using to input them into other areas. So, they see the tremendous development for us and also the Caribbean,” Minister Mustapha said.

He said the “25 by 25” initiative in Guyana and the wider CARICOM region aims to reduce the region’s food-import bill by 25 per cent by 2025 with a focus on priority commodities such as poultry meat, hatching eggs, corn, rice, various meats, niche vegetables, coconuts, fruits, roots crops, herbs, and spices.

The minister pointed out that amidst these remarkable strides, challenges persist, notably the issue of labour shortages.
“We are employing more and more people, but this is another issue. We are now having a shortage of labour in the country that is the problem,” he said.

With job opportunities expanding in both the oil and gas industry and the non-oil sectors, the government encouraged Guyanese citizens to consider careers in agriculture.
“We need people now to get involved in these sectors. This is another opportunity for Guyanese to be involved in agriculture and be employed in agriculture and they can also branch out businesses in these areas,” he said.