Guyana's livestock industry expanded by an estimated 17.5% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to figures released by agricultural authorities. The growth arrives against a difficult backdrop for the wider farming economy, with the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors overall contracting by 0.5% as heavy rainfall and adverse weather disrupted crop yields across the country.

Within the livestock subsector, the gains were concentrated in a small number of categories. Pork production recorded the sharpest rise, climbing 88.7% year on year. Officials attribute the increase largely to improved feed formulations that have raised production efficiency on local farms. Poultry meat output rose by 20.9% over the same period, a result linked to the introduction of tunnel-ventilated pens, which have improved bird survival rates, alongside a reduction in cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza among domestic flocks. Egg production increased by 11%, aided by a shipment of imported layer eggs received late in the previous year.

These increases were not uniform across the subsector. Production of beef, milk and mutton all declined during the first half of the year, though the scale of growth in pork and poultry was sufficient to offset those losses and produce a net expansion for livestock as a whole.

The expansion has been underpinned by sustained government spending. Authorities set aside $1.9 billion for the year to support the livestock and honey industries, of which $981.5 million had been disbursed by the end of June. Much of this funding has gone towards infrastructure, including a public-private partnership designed to support young entrants into agricultural business. Six of the twelve tunnel-ventilated poultry facilities planned under the initiative have been completed, with the remaining six expected to be operational before the year is out. A further distribution of higher-yielding livestock breeds is planned for the third quarter, intended to keep meat production on its current trajectory.

Some of the allocated funds have also gone towards Guyana's beekeeping sector, which has expanded rapidly this year. Investment has reached rural and indigenous communities including Pomeroon, Rock Stone and Mahdia. Forty-four startup kits and 499 hive boxes were distributed to beekeepers in these areas during the first half of the year. Training programmes accompanied the equipment rollout, with 228 people trained in general apiary management. A smaller group of 18 received more specialised instruction in capturing and relocating wild swarms safely, a skill in demand as beekeeping expands into areas where wild colonies are common.

The apiculture programme sits alongside the livestock initiatives as part of a broader push to diversify income sources for smallholders, particularly in areas where crop farming has suffered from the year's poor weather.

Looking ahead, officials remain confident that livestock will continue to perform well despite the difficulties facing the rest of the agricultural sector. The government has projected a full-year growth rate of 3.7% for the livestock subsector in 2026, a figure it expects to reach through continued investment in infrastructure and breed improvement. Whether that target is met will depend partly on how quickly the remaining poultry facilities come online and on the pace at which improved breeding stock reaches farmers later in the year.

For now, the contrast between livestock and the rest of the agricultural economy is stark. While rice, sugar and other crops have struggled under the weight of unusually heavy rainfall, the poultry and pork sectors have benefited from targeted state support and new production methods that have made farms more resilient to disruption. That divergence looks set to shape the sector's performance for the remainder of the year.

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