-Minister Mustapha announces, says initiative is part of efforts to ‘uplift’ residents

A TRANSFORMATIVE initiative is set to bring new hope and economic opportunities to single mothers in Topoo Village, Corentyne, as they will soon receive 25 Black Giant chickens each, along with a starter bag of feed, to help them generate a sustainable income.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a recent outreach to the community, where he highlighted several development measures aimed at uplifting residents.

According to Minister Mustapha, “Since the PPP/C has returned to government, they would have done tremendous work in the country, your community has been no exception.” He assured residents that “development will continue in every single community.”

As he addressed the gathering, Minister Mustapha said, “I want to start a programme in this area. I want to ask GLDA, and all the single mothers we will give 25 black giant birds. That bird does lay a lot, and you will give them a bag of feed to start them out.”

The Black Giant is a popular dual-purpose breed known for its high egg-laying capability and suitability for meat, making it ideal for small-scale poultry farming and household sustainability.

In addition to the poultry initiative, Mustapha revealed plans to support local pig farmers. “For the nine people who are doing swine within the area, they will be given two pigs each,” he stated.

Infrastructure development was also a key point of discussion during the minister’s visit. Emphasising the government’s focus on improving drainage in the village, Mustapha said, “So we will start that programme first; we will start the black giant programme, and we will do the desilting of the drains.”

In elaborating further, he stated, “I want to put a mechanism in place that by the end of two weeks we will have a mini excavator in this area to work and do out all the desilting of the area so that you can get proper drainage.”

Addressing the improved road conditions in the village, the minister noted that further upgrades are on the horizon, stressing that work will commence shortly on several streets that are also part of the work programme.

In addition to livestock and infrastructure support, residents will also be given agricultural inputs to encourage home gardening.

The minister pledged to supply residents with the various types of seeds so that they can “plant up your kitchen garden.”

This multi-tiered initiative is part of the government’s broader efforts to ensure inclusive development, strengthen food security, and empower vulnerable groups particularly single mothers through practical and sustainable solutions.

Meanwhile, the minister also took the opportunity to remind residents gathered that it was important to continue to work together. “People will come to derail the progress, people will come to divide us, people will come and tell you that the PPP na do nothing for y’all; let us list, let us look from where we were in 2020, how our children future was at stake, how our own future was at stake and let us list the developments now.”