Dear Editor,

I am genuinely afraid that I will soon be described as a frequent letter writer to the newspapers. The truth is, I hate writing. However, matters of national importance often force my hand.

The Ministry of Agriculture sought to defend its stewardship of the poultry sector via a response published in the Stabroek News on January 8th, 2025. I crave for your indulgence by publishing my reply to that article.

The essential argument of my criticism of the Ministry, is that the process of importing, and/or allocating, chicken has been perverted. The importation and sale of imported chicken is lucrative, and policymakers in the Ministry have seized the opportunity to redirect the sale of imported chicken to politically favoured players who, historically, had nothing to do with the sector. I have been advised that farmers have been told by policymakers that “this is the new reality”. The Ministry failed, probably with good reason, to address this allegation. Consequently, I am now calling on the Ministry to publicly disclose the names of the top twenty individuals, or businesses, allotted imported chicken.

Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) has been a pandemic in the poultry sector since 2021. The Ministry needs to stop pussyfooting with this disease. Vaccine development is beyond the capacity of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA). The Ministry must immediately engage top tier international veterinary research institutions to develop a vaccine.

Editor, poultry farmers are feeling the squeeze. Many have closed their farms and others face the possibility of defaulting on their loans. It appears that the banks have not moved to effect the President’s promise of lowered financing costs announced in 2023. I fear that the profits, “the new reality”, derived from the corrupted process of importation, will stymie efforts to develop a vaccine. The farmers, and all of the previous gains, over two decades, to achieve food security in the poultry sector, are cannon fodder in this “new reality”.

Sincerely,

Terrence Campbell