GLDA to ramp up production of black giant chicks

– for coastal and hinterland regions

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, November 5, 2018

The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will in 2019 ramp up its production of black giant chicks for hinterland and coastal communities.

According to Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder the Livestock Development Authority is expected to, “…produce 24,000 chicks for coastal farmers and an additional 6,000 for hinterland communities in 2019.”

Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder

The Minister was at the time addressing the National Assembly during the 2019 Budget debate.

In a previous interview, CEO of GLDA, Nigel Cumberbatch said, “the black giant [chicken] project was introduced in 2017 and at this point in time we really cannot keep up with the demand that we are getting for the birds, particularly in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.”

The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) officially launched its Hinterland Development Black Giant Poultry Programme on February 1, 2017, and handed over one hundred (100) Black Giant chickens along with the requisite start-up feed and other supplies to the Mahdia Secondary School in Region 8.

The main objective of the initiative is to assist in making the hinterland regions less reliant on the Coast for their food supplies, more specifically by targeting the hinterland residential schools.

The Black Giant is a large dual-purpose chicken, which has the ability to produce up to two hundred (200) eggs annually and about 4.5 kilogrammes of meat. These birds have the ability to graze and forage as well as eat leftovers from the kitchen and still produce reasonably well. Given these qualities, the bird is well suited to hinterland regions.

Kidackie Amsterdam

Images: Keno George

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