Report on the ruminant production situation and prospects in Guyana

Guyana is currently a low-cost beef producer, and the government policy seems to favor retention of beef prices below import parity. About half the cattle research resources in Guyana have been spent in Ebim, in the intermediate savannah, without producing an economically viable method of livestock production. At existing price levels, cattle production is marginally profitable for current producers, but no clearly profitable areas for expansion exist. Cattle appear to be slaughtered at very low weights, partly because of the likelihood of theft, and partly because of the lack of a differentiated market for finished beef. The IBRD loan means that plans already exist for expansion of beef production at close to maximum speed. This means that the Guyanese are now interested in the development of other types of ruminant. Though Guyana has a larger land base, intensive production systems have been developed only for the coastal clays. Profitable exploitation of the remaining land areas awaits development of appropriate production systems.