Government, through the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) has made available some 350 special breeds of milking cows to begin the highly anticipated diary project for single parents.
The strategic move comes at a time when the PPP/C Administration continues to push aggressively to strengthen Guyana’s food safety system and expand its export potential.
His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali had announced the flagship intervention on March 6, at State House, which he said, would benefit a number of single parents, specifically mothers along the East Bank corridor.
The president said too, that his government is keen on expanding the dairy industry to meet future demands.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha said Wednesday, that a team of animal technicians from neighbouring Brazil will be visiting Ebini, along the Berbice River, Region Ten, where the animals are located, to conduct examinations before the embryo transfer procedure begins.
The transfer process is an artificial method of breeding whereby newly formed embryos prior to implantation are removed from a female animal, and are transferred into the reproductive tract of another female of the same species.
“So, we have 350 of our animals that were already selected by GLDA and those animals will be inspected by the technicians from Brazil. Once the embryo transfer can be done there, they will transplant those embryos to the 350 animals…. and there we will start the moving of the cattle industry in terms of milk and beef production,” the minister stated.
A milking cow provides on average eight gallons of milk per day, and with the amount allocated in the first phase of the project, Guyana could see about 19,600 gallons of milk per week along the East Bank corridor.
Meanwhile, the government continues to create an environment for local producers to benefit from the increasing demand for meat, coming from the thriving oil and gas companies, as well as other local businesses.
Earlier last year, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Amaya Milk Company, the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), and the Ministry of Agriculture for the construction of a milk processing facility.
The multi-million-dollar facility, which is being constructed at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice by Canadian-based investor Omkaar Sharma, saw an initial investment of $150 million.
While Guyana is open for more investments, President Ali has always emphasised that Guyanese must be able to benefit, as well.
Budget 2022 allocated $977.3 million to the GLDA, which is an increase of $171 million from the previous year’s allocation.
