– modern tunnel-ventilated pens commissioned as government deepens technology-driven farming

THE Government of Guyana’s state-of-the-art tunnel-ventilated poultry pens project at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara was commissioned on Wednesday, marking another milestone in the country’s agricultural transformation, with Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips declaring that the initiative signals “a new era of technologically driven agriculture.”
The Prime Minister made this known as he delivered the feature address at the commissioning ceremony, during which he stated that the project represents far more than the construction of modern poultry facilities, describing it as a clear indication of the direction in which Guyana’s agricultural sector is heading.
“This initiative is a declaration of intent. It signals that the days of subsistence farming and fragile harvests are giving way to a new era of resilience, a new era of abundance, and a new era of technologically driven agriculture,” Phillips said.

He noted that the tunnel-ventilated poultry project forms part of the government’s broader strategy to modernise agriculture through innovation, climate-smart technologies and major infrastructure investments designed to improve productivity while protecting farmers from external shocks.
“This project represents the new direction in which Guyanese agriculture is moving; a direction where science meets the soil, where inventiveness overcomes uncertainty, and where the farmer is no longer left to battle nature alone,” he said.
Phillips reflected on the many uncertainties confronting farmers, including unpredictable weather, volatile global input prices, pests, diseases and fluctuating markets, noting that these challenges have shaped the government’s long-term vision for the sector.
“We begin by putting ourselves in their shoes, by listening to their stories and acknowledging that the path to a prosperous agricultural sector must first respond to their deepest anxieties.”
Against this backdrop, he indicated that the government’s response has been to invest heavily in drainage and irrigation systems, agro-processing, local fertiliser production, modern farming technologies and improved market access to build a more resilient agricultural sector.
The Prime Minister said the vision for the next five years is aimed at cementing Guyana’s status as the food-producing capital of the Caribbean while strengthening agriculture as a major pillar of the country’s non-oil economy.
Meanwhile, he indicated that the poultry industry has been one of the strongest performers, with production more than doubling from 2020 to 2025 with production projected to climb even more in 2026.
Adding to this, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the newly commissioned facilities form part of a nearly $1 billion investment in modern poultry infrastructure, equipment and training under the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP).
He explained that the initiative builds on the government’s efforts to move agriculture “from sustenance to sustainability and from traditional practice to technology-driven enterprise,” while attracting more young people into the sector.
“We are not just preparing for the future. Today, we are actively building it,” Mustapha said.
As such, the minister noted that the programme, which initially focused on high-value crops grown in shade houses and hydroponic systems, has already reduced Guyana’s dependence on imported vegetables for the hospitality industry by enabling young farmers to produce crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and sweet peppers locally.
He said the poultry initiative is now being expanded across Regions Three, Four and Five, with plans to extend it to Regions Two and Six in the near future.

The Minister went on to add that the facilities at Mon Repos, Coverden and Burma are already operational, with each tunnel-ventilated pen capable of housing between 20,000 and 40,000 birds under internationally recognised production standards.
Mustapha said the climate-controlled facilities are particularly important as Guyana experiences increasingly warmer conditions, helping to reduce bird mortality while improving production efficiency.
He also underscored the government’s commitment to ensuring that women and young people remain at the centre of agricultural development.
“We have had an instruction from the President that all the projects in the Ministry of Agriculture must include 35 per cent women and 30 per cent youth. This project has almost 100 per cent young people today. That’s a proud achievement,” he said.
Further to this, the agriculture minister said additional tunnel-ventilated pens will become operational before the end of the year, significantly increasing poultry production and positioning Guyana to become a net exporter of poultry products within the Caribbean.
“We will continue to expand this model, integrating technology, youth entrepreneurship and regional collaboration to make Guyana the agriculture hub of the Caribbean,” Mustapha said.