Look to Guyana for feedstock to save forex

THE EDITOR: The public information provided by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo recently underscores the need for serious scrutiny of the use of scarce forex. He noted that poultry‑related companies accessed well over US$150 million in forex between 2020 and mid‑2025.

By any measure, this is a very large public commitment to sustaining imported feedstock.

At the same time, our Caricom neighbour Guyana has cultivated about 12,000 acres of corn and soya in 2024 and is targeting 25,000-30,000 acres by 2025-2026, with stated plans to become self‑sufficient in livestock feed and to export surplus grain to Caricom. This is precisely the feedstock that underpins our poultry industry and drives the forex demand.

Given these facts, it is reasonable to ask whether our major poultry integrators, feed millers, agricultural professionals, mechanical engineers and relevant state agencies have formally approached the Guyana government to offer any assistance and to negotiate early long‑term supply arrangements for Guyanese corn and soya, priced in a way that reduces our forex exposure over time.

Parallel to that, there should be an urgent assessment of TT’s readiness: port facilities, storage, handling, quality assurance, and any legislative or contractual changes needed to pivot a portion of feed imports from distant suppliers to a Caricom partner.

If we are serious about making forex work harder for the country, then the scale of forex used to import poultry feedstock must trigger more than routine reassurance. It should drive a co-ordinated regional strategy in which our private sector and government move quickly to convert Guyana’s emerging production into a concrete, lower‑risk, lower price, intra‑Caricom supply line for poultry feed.

FAZIR KHAN

St Augustine