Shortage of locally produced chicken forces imports from Suriname; Agri Minister denies opposition’s smuggling accusations

Last Updated on Sunday, 3 December 2023, 0:12 by Denis Chabrol

The Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha on Saturday denied accusations by the Opposition Leader’s Office that he was involved in smuggling chicken from neighbouring Suriname, and provided proof that the importation of the meat was approved to ease the shortage of that locally produced protein source and stabilise prices.

The Agriculture Ministry said the permission to import the chicken was granted to the government-owned New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC).

“The decision to import chicken was made by the Government of Guyana. This became necessary since the local chicken consumption has vastly increased, resulting in the local supply being unable to meet the growing demand,” the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. “The decision to import chicken was to not only ensure adequate supplies but also to stabilize prices in an effort to protect consumers,” government added.

Deeming the claims by the Opposition Leader’s Office “malicious, false and libelous”, the Agriculture Ministry released a letter by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority dated November 24, 2023 to the Guyana Revenue Authority stating that it did not object to the importation of 58,000 pounds of Rockingham chicken leg quarters. “Please note that the Guyana Livestock Development Authority has no objections to the importation” of that amount and brand of chicken “in keeping with the recommendation from the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.”

The recommendation by the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry was not released to the media, but the Agriculture Ministry said the chicken shortage was due to increased local consumption, and the local chicken industry was seriously affected by an outbreak of avian influenza in the United States of America earlier in this year. “That outbreak, in turn, negatively affected the importation of hatching eggs, which led to the depletion of an already inadequate supply of chicken in Guyana,” the ministry added.

The Agriculture Ministry threatened to take legal action against the Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton if the accusation was not withdrawn. “As a result, the office of the Leader of the Opposition is hereby called upon to withdraw this baseless, reckless and libelous allegation immediately. The statement has already been sent for legal advice. Unless withdrawn, legal proceedings will be instituted,” the ministry said.