A hinterland poultry project funded by the three oil companies operating in the Stabroek Block has touched all 57 Rupununi communities since its launch in March of 2022.
This is according to a release on Friday from the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI) which is a 10-year socioeconomic project being funded by ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC to the tune of $20b. The poultry venture known as the ‘Egg Sandwich’ Project was the first to be financed under the GGI to the tune of $120m.
The release said that the project has successfully reached all 57 communities in the Rupununi, with over 80 per cent now actively engaged in poultry farming.
The region’s first ever state-of-the-art hatchery was set up with the capacity to process 2160 eggs at once, while to date, over 7,000 eggs have been successfully hatched, and more than 18,000 dual purpose chickens sold. Additionally, 1,116 new and existing poultry farmers across the Rupununi were formally trained in poultry production methods and management, of which 696 were women–operating in a traditionally male-dominated livestock sector.
The $120 million investment project is being executed by The Consultancy Group, in partnership with the Rupununi Livestock Producers Association (RLPA).
The release said that a team comprising GGI representatives conducted a recent visit to Region Nine where they experienced first-hand the tangible results of the project.
The release added that countless market opportunities for Rupununi poultry producers, including supplying products to the region’s school feeding “hot meal” programme and employment creation, were also made possible by the project.
The project is focused on enabling hinterland residents to raise their local poultry capacity in hopes of enhancing consumer access to high quality local poultry products and supporting economic independence.
The GGI was launched in February 2021
