Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo explained today that the government’s decision to place a ban on poultry imports was due to there being an oversupply in the market from local farmers. Jagdeo rubbished insinuations by the political opposition that the move would have any harmful economic implications for the domestic market.
During the opposition’s press conference this morning, its leader, Aubrey Norton, claimed that it observed various explanations for the government’s ban on chicken imports which included, health concerns, possible smuggling and the need to protect local farmers. He said, “Nowhere in the various explanations do we detect any concern for the likely surge in chicken prices on the local market that a ban on imports would trigger. Nowhere do we hear the government express concern over the impact of a ban on the already high cost of living.” Norton also criticized the government, stating that the ban alone cannot solve the problem, adding that it reflects incompetence and confused policy-making.
In response, the Vice President clarified that the ban on chicken imports is a limitation to the importation of chicken, not a standalone ban. He emphasized that the local production of chicken currently exceeds market demands. Jagdeo also rejected claims of soaring prices and noted, “All these places (businesses) are booming, KFC and so on, and that’s all because of our local production.” He further highlighted that the government’s efforts have resulted in an annual production of approximately 140 million pounds of chicken, providing livelihoods for 18,000 Guyanese.
Jagdeo also accused Norton of attempting to undermine local poultry production, claiming that he is interested in protecting the interests of importers. “Norton wants to take that (ban) away to allow the imported chicken to come in and kill the livelihood of all these farmers. They want to kill local production..,” he claimed.
On the issue of smuggling, he said that the government will be paying keen attention to the issue and will make every effort to curb this practice through the relevant agencies.
