Chicken brouhaha: Agriculture Ministry denies allegation of smuggling, threatens to sue Opposition if allegation not withdrawn

Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Agriculture  and the Ministry of Agriculture have refuted, “in the strongest possible terms the malicious, false and libelous claims and allegations of the smuggling of chicken made by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.”

In a statement dated December 2^nd 2023, the ministry said the decision to import chicken was made by the Government of Guyana, and this became necessary since the local chicken consumption has vastly increased, resulting in the local supply being unable to meet the growing demand.

In addition to the increased local consumption, the local chicken industry was seriously affected by an outbreak of avian influenza in the United States of America earlier in this year, the ministry stated. “That outbreak, in turn, negatively affected the importation of hatching eggs, which led to the depletion of an already inadequate supply of chicken in Guyana.”

According to the ministry the decision to import chicken was to not only ensure adequate supplies but also to stabilise prices in an effort to protect consumers.

In the circumstances, the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), a Public Corporation, owned and controlled by the Government of Guyana, and which falls under the supervisory authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, was duly instructed and authorised to import chicken in order to meet the demand of the local market.

The relevant documents relating to the importation of the chicken in question are attached.

To this end the ministry has called on the Office of the Leader of the Opposition “to withdraw this baseless, reckless and libelous allegation immediately,” threatening that the Opposition statement “has already been sent for legal advice and unless a withdrawal is made, legal proceedings will be instituted.