Agriculture self-sufficiency – a growing possibility at Mahdia

The cost of chicken and fresh farm produce such as vegetables and ground provisions in the mining town of Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) has been greatly reduced as a result of the efforts of farmers in the community.
The farmers have adapted new irrigation systems, and embarked on large-scale poultry rearing and the use of pen manure for their crops.
Chicken from a price of $1100 per pound a year ago is now being retailed for under $600 per pound.  Fresh eggs, which were previously sold at $3000 per tray, are currently available at $1500 per tray at supermarkets and grocery shops in the

mining community.
The reduction in the price for fresh farm products was among the many positive developments on the agricultural front revealed to Agriculture Minster Noel Holder and his team during an outreach to the area on Thursday.
Businessman/farmer Roger Hinds has incorporated the use of the Hoyo irrigation system and storage of water in plastic tanks for use during the dry spells.
His four-acre farm boasts an amazing variety of crops, including vegetables, spices, and fruits. A huge section is dedicated to citrus.
Other innovations revealed to the visiting team included greenhouses for his vegetable (pak choy, sweet peppers and lettuce).
“I get approximately 400 eggs a week from these chickens, and I sell them along with the other produce at the farm at my supermarket.  Before, a tray of eggs could be as much as $3000; I sell for $1500 including the tray.”
Hinds, the proprietor of the Roger Hinds Hotel, a supermarket complex and wholesale depot in the town, also took the team for a look at his poultry operation, which has successfully reared the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority

(GLDA) Black Giant breed of dual purpose chickens for the production of eggs.
According to Hinds, the Black Giant chickens have significantly impacted the cost of an egg in Mahdia.
Hinds assured that he was committed to producing enough along with other farmers to make his town self-sufficient in vegetables and poultry supplies.
“For as long as I can remember, the only source of fresh veggies and meat was from the coast, and this was at significant [cost], for transport through the trail or by aircraft. This cost was passed on to the residents of the community – I wanted to change that, I wanted to bring down the cost of food in Mahdia,” he explained.
The price of chicken has also been positively impacted by the efforts of poultry farmer Richard Owenkirk, who said he saw a need in the town and was the first to establish a poultry operation such as his.
“I would see how much a pound of chicken would cost us here in Mahdia, as much as $1200 at times. But I understood the challenges suppliers had in sourcing the meat in Georgetown, and then have it refrigerated for the long haul here; I felt I had a plan that could ease the hassle. Today, that plan is paying off for me and for the consumers of my town.”
Owenkirk sells his chickens at a wholesale price of $320 per pound to wholesalers

who then retail for around $500 a pound.
Minister Holder – who was in the company of GLDA Head Nigel Cumberbatch; National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Freddy Flats and National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) CEO, Dr Oudho Homenauth – was also shown efforts to cultivate pawpaw (papaya), citrus and other fruits such as soursop and sugar apples.
The Minister expressed delight at the developments in the agriculture sector in the Region. He said he was delighted to see that the non-acquisition of additional lands to expand operations.
Minister Holder has committed to working with the Region Eight Regional Democratic Council (RDC) along with the Lands and Surveys Commission with a view to having them access lands that would facilitate the continued growth of agriculture in that part of Region Eight.