–as gov’t eyes 3,000 embryos production per year, more agricultural investments

THE backbone of Guyana’s economy, agriculture, will see more efforts to further transform the sector, aside from the already significant investments in modern farming technologies and support for small-scale farmers.

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday, during a press conference at the party’s headquarters, Freedom House said that the party’s Manifesto will reveal their massive plans.

“We have major plans laid out in every sector,” he said.

For the first time ever, Guyana has been able to produce one million hatching eggs, owing to a pilot programme launched last year.

Jagdeo stated that the government has told the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) that they want to do 3,000 embryos per year, and they already have a 70 per cent success rate with the high-quality animals.

The PPP/C administration has introduced the black belly sheep, swine, breeding bulls, and other livestock to enhance farmers’ stock.

Last year, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha keenly pointed out that with newer technologies, the country successfully produced hatching eggs.

Also, Mustapha noted that work is being done to catapult the dairy industry. To this end, the government has been supporting public-private initiatives which will see the construction of a modern milk plant.

He explained that once this facility comes on stream, it is expected that the country can become a main exporter.

The Demerara Dairies Incorporated, an extension of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), is investing some G$4 billion to build a state-of-the-art milk plant, thereby creating a market for liquid, ready-to-use milk.

He added: “Over the last three-four years we have been working with the farmers around the country. As a matter of fact, we have been importing breeding animals so they can have better animals to breed, both in the dairy and the beef industries.”

During a previous address to the National Assembly, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had highlighted the government’s push to solidify Guyana as the prime agricultural hub, pointing to the government’s strategic policies and investments to achieve many food-production targets.

“Agriculture is one component of the food ecosystem that we are developing. The food ecosystem is a much wider, complex undertaking that includes financing for agriculture, insurance for agriculture, issues of climate change; it’s about bringing together all the factors to ensure a viable food production,” President Ali had said.

To achieve this, President Ali believes that focus must be placed on standard certification, infrastructure, subsidies, transport, technology, and research and development.
In this regard, he announced that in the new fiscal year, the government will introduce new rules for the poultry industry.

These include the acceleration of capital investments by farmers, reducing costs and incentivising growth.

The government, he noted, restored agriculture and food production as a major centrepiece of the country’s non-oil economy.