SURINAME

Geography
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, lies between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast. Geographic coordinates for Suriname are 4° 00 N, 56° 00' W. The total area is 163,270 sq km. The capital is Paramaribo (population of around 243,556). Other main cities include Nieuw Nickerie, Albina, Moengo. The population is approximately 500,000 with an annual population growth rate of 1.103%.
Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. Situated on the Guiana Shield, the country can be divided into two main geographic regions. The northern, lowland coastal area (roughly above the line Albina-Paranam-Wageningen) where most of the population resides and the southern part,  consisting of tropical rainforest and sparsely inhabited savanna along the border with Brazil, covering about 80% of Suriname's land surface. The terrain is varied, and includes rain forests, savannas, coastal swamps and hills. 

Lying near the equator, Suriname has a tropical climate, and diurinal temperature variations are minimal throughout the year. The year has two wet seasons, from December to early February and from late April to mid-August due to dual passage of the inter tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Located in the northeast portion of the country is the W.J. van Blommestein Meer, one of the largest reservoir lakes in the world.

The Poultry Industry
In 2006, approximately 4.8 million commercial broilers were produced and processed.  In the same year, there were approximately 158,000 layers on farms. Commercial broiler farmers accounted for 70% of total poultry meat production while backyard and non-commercial farmers accounted for the remaining 30%.  It is estimated that there were over 30,000 backyard poultry farmers in the country.
In 2006, there were 4 large processing plants with capacities ranging from 4000 to 5000 birds per day. These commercial processing plants processed a total of 4 million birds in 2006. In addition, there were 165 identified Pluck Shops in Suriname with processing capacities ranging from 100 to 200 birds per day.
 Five hatcheries in Suriname produce day-old chicks for the industry; the majority of these chicks are from hatching eggs imported from the USA with a small percentage produced by breeder flocks within the country.
 Vaccines used in the poultry industry include vaccines against Gumboro’s Disease, Marek’s Disease, Fowl Pox, Newcastle Disease and Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE). All vaccines are imported under license from the USA.  The last update of the Act for the Prevention and Eradication of Contagious Animal Diseases was in 1986. This act stipulates the strategies and legal basis for the control and prevention of animal diseases including diseases of poultry.  The most important diseases to the poultry industry are Gumboro’s Disease (IBD), coccidiosis, endo-parasites, and fowl pox. In the last five years there was one outbreak of AE.  Routine surveillance is conducted on the large commercial farms.
At present, the laboratory is able to conduct AGID and the rapid ELISA-based tests for Avian Influenza (AI) diagnosis. Technicians on the laboratory staff recently received training in AGID, ELISA and HI. 
The Official Veterinary Services employs a total of 40 persons including 7 veterinarians, 8 animal health assistants and 10 laboratory technicians.   

The Poultry Association is fairly active and often convenes workshops and seminars for the benefit of its members. Topics covered in these workshops have included bio-security measures, nutrition and the main diseases of poultry including AI.

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