President of the Caribbean Poultry Association (CPA), David Fernandes, says more investment in poultry processing and cold storage facilities are critical to preventing recurring chicken shortages.
Fernandes, also Managing Director of Bounty Farm Limited, was speaking in the context of a current chicken shortage in the country that has been sparked by reduced local production and rising demand.
Speaking with Kiskadee Watch at his office in Bel Air, Georgetown, he expressed hope that production would begin stabilising by September. “We’re hoping that by sometime in September, if not before, we could actually say to government that we have gained some level of consistent production again,” he said.
Fernandes observed that the country’s limited storage capacity has worsened the current shortage, as farmers are often forced to sell birds immediately because they cannot keep processed chicken in storage during periods of oversupply. “The steps that we’ll be able to mitigate the shortages; we would need to increase as a nation processing and storage. Storage is even more critical,” Fernandes said. “If we have the storage then we will not have the same situation happen as often.”
He explained that unlike cattle, sheep or fish, chickens cannot simply be left unprocessed when demand falls because farmers continue to incur feed costs while the birds grow beyond their optimal market weight. “With chickens it’s different because you’ve got to pay for feed and your birds are growing on you, so you have to process them. If you don’t have storage then you’ve got to sell them live, and you can’t replace your chicks,” he explained.
Fernandes said the current shortage stems from a production cycle that began around last April when the industry experienced an oversupply of chicken. He explained that during periods of glut (excessive supply), farmers are unable to sell their birds and therefore cannot free up space in their poultry houses to receive new chicks. That, in turn, forces hatcheries to reduce production because there is no market for the chicks.
Further, Fernandes said demand for chicken has grown significantly in recent years. He estimated that Guyana’s population and economy have expanded by about 25 percent between 2020 and 2026, resulting in higher disposable incomes and increased consumption.
He also pointed to the continuing effects of Inclusion Body Hepatitis (IBH), a disease that severely affected poultry producers and forced many large, medium and small-scale farmers out of business. While noting that the disease is “almost in the past,” Fernandes said strict biosecurity measures remain essential to preventing future outbreaks.
Fernandes disclosed that representatives of the poultry industry recently met with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha to discuss the shortage and recommended that imports be increased temporarily to ease pressure on the market. He explained that while the industry normally asks government to restrict imports during periods of oversupply to protect local farmers, the opposite approach is needed during shortages.
However, he said he does not believe the shortage has reached crisis levels because imported chicken can be brought in relatively quickly from Brazil if necessary.
Just last week, the Guyana Poultry Producers Association (GPPA) formally asked the government to allow the temporary importation of chicken to address declining local production and increasing demand. Mustapha said the request would be carefully considered to balance consumer needs with the interests of local poultry producers.
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