Hinterland's poultry industry to be boosted with $120M funding from the Greater Guyana Initiative

The ‘EggSandwich Project’ is focused on enabling persons living in the hinterland regions to raise their local poultry capacity and enhance consumer access to high-quality poultry products, while gaining economic independence.

(L-R) ExxonMobil Guyana’s Community Relations Advisor Ryan Hoppie, Socioeconomic Manager Susan Scott, TCG Lead Consultant Timothy McIntosh, ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge, TCG Company Secretary Cladia Van Sluytman, CPGL’s Regional Manager, Anand Gohil and Projects Controls Manager, Huang Zhao.

This project is being funded by the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI) and is valued at more than GY$120M dollars (US$608,000). It is the first regional socioeconomic project to be funded by the GGI.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on February 22 with a local company, The Consultancy Group (TCG) which will be implementing the project with the Rupununi Livestock Producers Association (RLPA) to grow poultry in the hinterland.

ExxonMobil Guyana’s President Alistair Routledge and The Consultancy Group’s Cladia Van Sluytman sign the MOU for the poultry project in Region 9.

TCG’s Lead Consultant Timothy McIntosh explained that their role is to take the work that they have been doing in the Rupununi outwards to other hinterland communities.

“In 2018 we estimated about GY $300M poultry meat coming across from Brazil into the Rupununi area and that’s a great opportunity for a population of about 25,000 people. So, there are really good economic opportunities for local producers and we are very very keen to get started,” McIntosh stated.

Meanwhile, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge explained that this initiative is aimed towards sustainable development.

The President stressed the importance that ExxonMobil places on ensuring that locals across Guyana benefit from the oil and gas industry not only through revenue but by projects such as the Greater Guyana Initiative.

Routledge said, “It is exciting, as we implement the GGI initiative you know along of it so far, we’ve been getting traction with the educational part of it, whether it’s TVET, the University of Guyana, this probably is the first significant project which is getting to the sustainable economy part.”

The Greater Guyana Initiative is a partnership among ExxonMobil and its co-venturers Hess and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL). This initiative will fund capacity-building projects in keeping with the country’s overall development objectives.

CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited’s (CPGL) Regional Manager Anand Gohil and Projects Controls Manager Huang Zhao were also in attendance at the signing.