The Guyana government is on track to achieve self-sufficiency in livestock feed production by 2025, according to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. Speaking at the commissioning of a soil chemical services laboratory at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), he highlighted that, for the first time, the country is producing corn and soybeans domestically.
Minister Mustapha noted that Guyana currently imports around US$40 million in livestock feed annually, funds that could be redirected to other sectors to boost the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). He emphasized that self-sufficiency will be realized through the successful cultivation of corn and soybeans, with over 10,000 acres already being farmed in Tacama, Berbice
Corn and soya offer significant nutritional benefits. For example, soya beans produce “oilseed meal” commonly known as plant-derived protein supplement, which is used in animal feed to increase digestion and improve growth.
Corn silage, a high-energy and low-protein feed, is used to supplement the diet of growing dairy heifers and lactating cows.
The government has allocated GUY$967.8 million (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) in this year’s national budget for the production of corn and soya beans.
The authorities hope that by the end of 2025, a total of 30,000 acres will be dedicated to the cultivation of corn and soya.
Earlier this week, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) reported that the country’s rice yield went from 5.9 tonnes per hectare to 6.75 tonnes per hectare.
