– Minister Mustapha

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha on Saturday visited the state-of-the-art abattoir in Onverwagt, Region 5, ahead of its commissioning in two weeks. 

The abattoir is currently in its testing phase and will have the capacity to slaughter 30 to 35 animals per day, with plans to expand to accommodate 100 animals per day.

“We have butchers with large numbers of animals who will be slaughtering here and same time we have these small butchers. We will be taking a very nominal fee from them, a small fee  from the butchers,” he said.

The state-of-the-art abattoir forms part of government’s plan to expand operations and position Guyana for beef exports.

It will be managed by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority, GLDA, and is equipped with modern machinery to ensure a fully mechanised and efficient process. 

“So, I’m hoping that in the next two weeks they will do rapid tests and if any teething problems exist we can resolve all those problems and in two weeks time the president will commission this and it will open to the public,”

Region 5 has been deemed the livestock capital of the country and with the introduction of new facilities like these, livestock farmers are expected to benefit meaningfully as efforts continue to expand the sector.