HGP Nightly News – The government will temporarily import approximately 330,000 pounds of chicken every week after local poultry production proved insufficient to maintain a steady supply for consumers.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha announced the intervention on Monday during a meeting with representatives of the Private Sector Commission, describing it as a short-term response to gaps in the domestic market.
The New Guyana Marketing Corporation will coordinate the importation and distribution of the chicken through local suppliers.
Mustapha said the imported poultry is intended to supplement rather than displace local production while farmers work to rebuild and expand their output.
The decision highlights continuing weaknesses in the local supply chain, where fluctuations in production can quickly lead to shortages, uncertainty and higher prices.
The minister did not indicate how long the weekly imports would continue or identify the countries from which the chicken would be sourced. He said the government would monitor production and demand to determine when the intervention could be reduced or discontinued.
Alongside the imports, the administration intends to increase Guyana’s cold-storage capacity. Mustapha said additional facilities would allow excess chicken produced during high-output periods to be stored and released when local production falls or consumer demand rises.
The absence of sufficient storage has limited the sector’s ability to manage fluctuations, leaving producers and consumers vulnerable to recurring periods of oversupply and scarcity.
Mustapha said the government will continue consulting poultry farmers, importers, distributors and private-sector organisations while assessing conditions in the market.
The immediate challenge will be balancing the need to protect consumers from shortages and rising prices with the need to ensure that imported chicken does not undermine local poultry farmers.
The government maintains that the imports are temporary and that expanding domestic production remains its long-term objective.
