–Minister Mustapha assures poultry farmers at inaugural Honey Fest

WITH the accent these days on hatching eggs, the recent announcement that the government has committed the sum of G$400M to bolstering the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA)’s breeder programme must have been sweet music to the ears of many a poultry rearer.
Making the welcome announcement on Friday at the first ever Honey Fest to be held here, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said that the funds have already been made available to the GLDA, and that the agency is on the verge of importing some modern tunnel houses so that the breeder programme can continue.

Noting that thanks to President Irfaan Ali’s unwavering dedication to transforming Guyana’s agricultural sector from the traditional crop and livestock production to a more advanced and enhanced one, the country now produces 60% of the food it consumes, Minister Mustapha said that investments such as these are intended to ensure that Guyana is not just food-secure, but also well positioned to become the food hub of the region.

And with the growing demand and advancement in new industries, the minister said he was pleased to reiterate that Guyana was able to produce its first set of hatching eggs last year.
According to him, compared to the 27,000 hatching eggs that were produced in 2023, he was delighted to learn that for the first half of 2024, the sector has already produced a total of 94,000 hatching eggs, and he anticipates that that figure will be doubled by the end of December.

As Minister Mustapha explained, while this projection may seem like a whole lot of eggs to some, Guyana uses approximately 53 million hatching eggs annually, thus causing the commodity to always be in high demand here.
Urging the young people of Guyana to familiarise themselves with the economic benefits to be had from the new and developing industries within the agriculture sector, the minister said, “By the end of 2026 to early 2027, we are hoping that Guyana will produce all of the country’s needs for hatching eggs.

This will be good for the country, since we will save revenue and reduce the food import bill to make our contribution to the 25 by 2025 initiative.”

In closing, the agriculture minister emphasised the importance of everyone participating in the sector, adding that the ministry is also trying to eradicate the stigma associated with farming. He said that while some are already benefitting tremendously from farming, cattle rearing, and poultry production, they are working on eradicating the “elderly job” stigma attached to the sector by some.