The government yesterday launched a programme in the community of Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara that will allow the first batch of 50 residents to soon begin poultry production to become self-sufficient, a Department of Public Information (DPI) release stated on Wednesday.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, who launched the agriculture initiative at Branford’s residence in the Region Three community, announced that the participants in the programme will each receive 50 to 100 broilers or black giant chickens from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) to increase the country’s poultry production.
“We will work along with you through the GLDA. We will work along with you to start the poultry activity that the president [President Irfaan Ali] would have committed. By next Wednesday, Dr Dwight Walrond [GLDA Chief Executive Officer], and his team will return to work with the entire group, so that we can have a group of people producing poultry at a cheaper cost in the community.”
According to the release, the programme has already benefitted residents in regions Four, Six, and Ten, as well as in hinterland areas.
Aware of the global disease affecting poultry, Mustapha noted that the Guyana Marketing Corporation is currently undertaking measures to manage the issue to stabilise chicken costs.
“We are working with the large and small poultry farmers. There are a number of persons’ businesses that were affected by the disease. Last year, we gave $29 million to the poultry industry to purchase vaccines to vaccinate the chickens,” he added.
