The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) has reported significant progress in its revived agricultural programme, with notable success in poultry and tilapia production. This initiative, which resumed in early 2025, aims to enhance the service’s contribution to the agriculture industry while meeting inmates’ dietary needs.
Key achievements of the programme include:
- Poultry Production: The GPS has successfully reared 12,000 broilers and 3,000 layers at the Lusignan and Mazaruni Prisons.
- Tilapia Farming: Tilapia production has been prioritized, showing promising results in the prison’s aquaculture efforts.
- Crop Cultivation: The programme has also seen success in growing crops such as pepper, fine-leaf thyme, and broad-leaf thyme.
Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, emphasized that all prison farmlands are being utilized for large-scale farming. The initiative aligns with the GPS’s strategic plan to promote self-sustainability and provide inmates with a sense of purpose through farming and animal husbandry.
To support these efforts, the GPS has acquired new equipment, including two tractors with trailers and ploughs, and an excavator, facilitating land preparation and drainage improvements.
The success of this programme demonstrates the potential of agricultural initiatives in correctional facilities, contributing to both inmate rehabilitation and the broader agricultural sector in Guyana.
