21 swine farmers to benefit from donation of quality breeding stock

21 swine farmers to benefit from donation of quality breeding stock – Min. Mustapha

Mar 12, 2022 News

Some of the piglets that will be distributed to the farmers

Kaieteur News – Over the next two months, 21 swine farmers from across the country will receive several piglets to improve their breeding stock.
These animals are being made available through the Guyana Livestock Development Authority’s (GLDA) 2022 swine improvement programme. The pilot programme, which forms part of a $1.8 million investment being made by the government, will see the GLDA collaborating with farmers to improve the swine sector’s breeding and meat production capacities.
Earlier this week, 10 of the 21 farmers received piglets during a simple handing over exercise at GLDA’s head office at Mon Repos on the East Coast of Demerara, while the remaining farmers will benefit from the programme before the end of the second quarter of 2022.
While delivering remarks at the handing over, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said for this year, the ministry is hoping to see a significant increase in Guyana’s pork production.
“As a government we are working to develop our livestock industry. While you would’ve noticed that we are putting a lot of effort into the poultry sector, in corn and soya, in non-traditional high-value crops, we are also putting a lot of energy into developing the small ruminant sector. This exercise is a reflection of one of the recent actions taken by GLDA to increase pork production by 400,000 kilograms.
“Our current production is roughly 890,000 kilograms and I am hoping that by the end of this year, with the planned improvement we have for the swine industry, we can achieve that target,” the minister said.
It therefore means that the production target for 2022 is set at 1,290,000 kilograms.
Cognizant of the fact that with the influx of expatriates into the country the demand for specialized cuts of meats will increase, Minister Mustapha said the government would need to empower farmers to produce what is required to satisfy the demand, locally.
Minister Mustapha also said that the construction of a modern abattoir to service the swine industry is currently ongoing at Garden of Eden on the East Bank of Demerara while adding that government is also looking to establish a complete swine processing facility through a Public/Private Partnership (PPP) agreement.
“This year we are also looking at commencing the construction of a modern swine slaughtering facility. We are also looking at partnering with investors to build a complete swine processing facility which will include an abattoir and a processing plant. This will further enhance our capacity to become a producer and exporter of pork,” Minister Mustapha said.
The swine production improvement programme will see the GLDA working with swine farmers to produce pigs for both breeding and meat production purposes. With good animal husbandry and sustained feeding, each pig can produce as much as 272 kilograms (600 lbs.) in six months.
In Guyana, swine production is done mainly in six of the 10 administrative regions.