Poultry, beef & egg production fuel growth in Guyana’s livestock sector

– as corn & coconut production increased by over 300% in last 5 years

Guyana’s agriculture sector has recorded significant growth across most areas over the past five years, with increased production in crops, livestock and emerging value chains contributing to the country’s push for greater food security and reduced dependence on imports.

Guyana’s domestic production across 15 priority agricultural commodities increased between 2020 and 2025, as the agriculture sector recorded growth across crops, livestock and emerging areas of production.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha revealed this during a social media briefing on Thursday, as the Government of Guyana marks one year of its second term in office.
Minister Mustapha highlighted increased support for farmers, modernised infrastructure, investments in food production and technology, and expanded value-added opportunities.
He said these developments have contributed to the continued evolution of Guyana’s agriculture sector, creating new opportunities while strengthening food security.
“In Guyana, we have seen massive growth in the livestock sector from 2020 to 2025. In Guyana alone, the livestock industry has expanded by 12.5 per cent, with growth recorded across almost all the subcategories.
“Things such as poultry production grew by 11.5 per cent, beef by 11.7 per cent, pork by 6 per cent, and eggs by 12.4 per cent.”
He added, “Over the past five years, Guyana’s domestic production across 15 priority commodities, things like rice, and these are the commodities that are prioritised in CARICOM, the list that we have – coconut, rice, corn, soybeans, vegetables, fruits, spices, things like ginger, turmeric, and sweet potatoes – all these areas, right, have increased from 1.41 million tonnes in 2020 to 1.81 million tonnes in 2025, an expansion of 394,698 tonnes, or a 27.9 per cent increase we have seen.”
Several key agricultural value chains have recorded exceptional gains, with corn production increasing by more than 330 per cent. The corn sector represents a relatively new crop for Guyana and has been showing significant growth. Coconut production has also expanded substantially, recording a 235 per cent increase.
Massive growth is also being witnessed within Guyana’s rice sector, with production recently reaching approximately 825,000 tonnes as part of a major national agricultural expansion.
“We have been looking at various areas to not only increase production but also go into new forms of production. Well, we have seen rice production increase tremendously, almost two times, 100 per cent. We are on sugar production; we have gone into corn and soya; we have gone into spices, turmeric, and ginger. We have gone into the high-value crops, things like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, and bell peppers – those things are for the hospitality industry and the oil and gas industry.”
“We have seen an increase in poultry production, in other livestock production, and beef. We have now not only the Government involvement in this sector, but we are seeing now that the private sector is coming forward.”
Mustapha also pointed to growth in the apiculture and aquaculture subsectors, noting that the National Honey Expansion Programme resulted in a 40 per cent increase in honey production in 2025.
“We have seen the National Honey Expansion Programme lead to a 40 per cent increase in honey production in 2025, so now we are also moving in that direction. You know, honey is a very lucrative business. We have seen the brackish water shrimp industry in Region Six, and that is now being replicated across the country in other regions. We have increased production from 10,000 kilograms monthly that the farmers used to produce in Region Six to 145,000 kilograms monthly.”
Guyana is set to see further expansion across several areas of the agriculture sector, as the Government continues to invest in modernising the industry and making additional financing available to farmers and producers.
Amid these profound improvements within the sector, Mustapha also highlighted the Agriculture Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP), which is being implemented by young people across the country and has contributed to the development of new areas, including the spice industry.
He said Guyana is not only seeking to expand primary agricultural production but is also focusing on value-added processing to ensure farmers receive greater returns for their produce. To support this effort, he pointed to the development of several agro-processing facilities across the country over the past six years.
The expansion forms part of Guyana’s broader efforts to strengthen domestic food production and support CARICOM’s “25 by 2030” initiative, which seeks to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.