In the face of concerns raised by some local farmers about the rising mortality rates among chickens, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, and major producer Bounty Farms Limited have assured that there will be no shortage of poultry for the holiday season.
“There is no disease affecting the industry and yes we have sufficient production for the holidays. There will be no shortage for the holidays,” Mustapha told Stabroek News when contacted.
Managing Director of Bounty Farms Limited, David Fernandes, echoed similar sentiments as he explained that measures have been implemented to have an adequate of the most consumed meat in Guyana and informed that licences were issued to some persons.
“With regards to if there will be a shortage for Christmas, the Guyana Poultry Producers Associa-tion, in collaboration with the MoA [Ministry of Agriculture], had several meetings in this regard, and licences were issued to make sure that even if there is a shortfall with local production, that the legal imports will be there to fill the gap,” he explained.
Sources close to the sector told the Stabroek News that recently there have been complaints by farmers that they were losing a significant percentage of their birds at an increased pace.
However, Fernandes noted that while there are challenges in rearing the birds, as with any other produce or plants, mortality occurs most times from the management and oversight in rearing the chickens.
He added that consumers should not be worried that there will be a shortage this upcoming holiday season.
One of the largest retailers of chicken at the Bourda Market, Richard Shaw of Richie’s Poultry Farm, also assured that there will be no shortage, although he said that there has been an increase in the mortality rate of birds. “Currently there is a control growth issue and mortality for [us] went from 7% to 10% all the way up to like about 20% to like 45%.
On price increases, Sawh explained that over the past six months prices have risen significantly. This he reasoned, was due to an “increase in raw material like the feeds and the price for the baby chickens and so on”
“Over the past six months the increase has been about 20% for feed. The baby [chicks] prices are up too. It was $155 to $165 each as compared now where it is $195 to $230.”
“So chicken prices [rose] from $380 to $400 to now $460 to $500,” he added.
He said the costs are not likely to rise during the holidays but noted also that in Guyana there are seasonal increases. This he attributed to persons hoarding on their stocks and rationing sales, as while they may pluck them now, they will freeze and wait until near the holidays when they expect a rise in demand. He said there may be a “slight” rise in prices.
During the holiday season in Guyana, the consumption of chicken and eggs significantly increases because they are the main ingredients in festive dishes and increased holiday partying and social activities.
