Some South American investors have indicated an interest in setting up cattle farms in Guyana, following discussions at the first South American Commission for the fight against Foot and Mouth Disease (COSALFA) meeting held here.

The Ministry of Agriculture organised the meeting, held here for the first time in its 37-year history. Local investors interacted with participants from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia, who scheduled a second visit in August to solidify investment arrangements.

The investors are considering setting up the farms in the Rupununi to take advantage of Guyana’s disease-free status and to gain valuable markets, a press release said.

Guyana and Chile are the only two South American countries free of the Foot and Mouth disease without vaccination.

These countries are set to benefit from the implementation of disease surveillance programmes and capacity-building assistance.

Emphasis will also be placed on “consolidating surveillance activities at the borders and in cases where possible, resort to vaccination,” the release said.

This will be vital in the fight against this virus since South America has more than 60% of the world’s livestock population.