Livestock farmers in the Rupununi area now have access to improved healthcare for their animals.
A Ministry of Agriculture release on Thursday disclosed that the Guyana Live-stock Development Authority’s (GLDA) extension office in Region Nine has acquired a $3 million hematology machine which will increase its capabilities to offer improved services to livestock farmers in the Rupununi.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, officially handed over the machine to the GLDA’s regional agriculture department during a recent visit to the North Rupununi.
The machine was purchased as part of the region’s Agriculture Department budget in collaboration with the livestock authority to fulfill its mandate of carrying out simple blood samples. Hematology machines are generally used to identify the number of red and white blood cells, blood platelets, and hemoglobin levels from a sample of blood taken from livestock. These tests would be able to identify cases of anemia, inflammation, blood clotting disorders, etc. It can also determine how the animal’s body is responding to treatment for any of those diseases.
Mustapha described the acquisition of the machine as “both timely and important” especially in the Rupununi, which is one of Guyana’s largest livestock rearing and producing regions. He noted that this was part of the government’s efforts to improve and increase its livestock industry.
“As Ministry of Agriculture, I’d like to see our livestock industry expand. This is why we are putting the necessary systems in place to ensure services like these are available across the country. This machine will boost GLDA’s capacity to provide quality services to persons who rear livestock for beef and other by-products, as well as, for breeding purposes. This is just one of the many steps taken to improve the industry in the region. Additionally, the livestock authority will also be procuring a number of other equipment that will see a further boost to the industry in the region,” Mustapha was quoted as saying.
He also disclosed that additional equipment required to improve GLDA’s sample processing lab will be purchased soon as part of the region’s 2021 agriculture budgetary allocation.
Mustapha also commissioned a $2.1 million shade house in Nappi Village, North Rupununi, as part of the Ministry’s climate-smart agriculture initiative.
In his speech at the simple commissioning exercise, Mustapha assured that his ministry would continue to offer the support needed to ensure to further the development of food and nutrition security in the region. The shade house, he said, shows the potential of the community.
“Our officers will work along with the village officials responsible for supervising the shade house to ensure it has the kind of crops needed throughout the community and that the space in the shadehouse is fully utilized. Promoting shade houses is promoting climate-smart agriculture. Globally, climate change continues to have an impact on agriculture. The weather patterns have become very unpredictable,” the minister said.
