Karasabai gets abattoir
Livestock farmers of Karasabai and surrounding communities in Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) will now be able to slaughter animals for human consumption under hygienic conditions, following the commissioning of a $2 million abattoir there.
Deputy Toshao, Elvis Edwards said villagers had been slaughtering their animals at home and under trees, a practice he deemed unsafe. He thanked the government for providing the community with a facility that caters to the needs of the people.
“It (abbatoir) will serve a great purpose in our village, in terms of our health. This world is changing, you know, things that we did in the past can no longer be done like this and so this facility will allow us to do things by the book for the safety of our people, especially the children,” Toshao Edwards said.
He said the facility will complement the council’s plan to start cattle rearing among other sustainable projects from its $15 million one-off COVID-19 relief grant.
The grant is one of the many initiatives of the Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led Government to support Amerindian communities from the effects of Covid.
Deborah Rodrigues, a Community Service Officer (CSO) of Karasabai was also thankful for the project.
She said the facility “will be a great help to the people because these days, I see people slaughtering under the tree and that is not good for human consumption. It is time for us to move away from that and this building will help us to do that.”
Livestock farmers will be required to notify the council at least 72-hours to use the facility on the specified Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Close to 3000 animals are owned by villagers.
The facility is in keeping with the Ministry of Agriculture’s plans to establish modern abattoirs countrywide, to boost the country’s beef and pork production. This will also allow government to tap into the international market as a long-term goal.
Earlier this year, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said that, “there are big lucrative markets around the world. Imagine, countries from the Middle East are importing beef from our neighbours in Brazil, we can tap into some of those markets. That is why we are concentrating and investing in these sectors, especially the livestock sector,”
Currently, Guyana’s municipal abattoirs process about 75 per cent of the meat sold on the local markets.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, M.P along with Region Nine’s Regional Executive Officer (REO) Karl Singh, and Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock facilitated the commissioning.