Guyana has received 132 black-bellied sheep from Barbados, with another 868 scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks or months.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley tweeted:
“Today, the first… Black Belly Sheep arrived safely in Guyana from Barbados, as part of the Black Belly Sheep Project. The next shipment will be to Suriname. Improving food security continues to be a key area of focus for Barbados as we work with our regional neighbours.”
30 percent will go to women, 20 percent to young people
This initial flock of 112 sheep and 20 rams is part of the 1,000 animals promised to Guyana.
According to Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture, these animals are part of a joint initiative between the governments of Guyana and Barbados to develop a regional sheep brand to reduce the importation of lamb and sheep products in the region.
While speaking to members of the media, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha emphasized that “this is one of the ways we are working to reduce the food import bill”.
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He said his hope is that all the remaining sheep can arrive in the next two shipments. This “special program” is also expected to produce a new cross between Barbados black-bellied sheep and local Guyana sheep and create a brand of black-bellied sheep in Guyana. “We are looking to work in these two directions in fact, as the President rightly said when he started this program, 30 percent will go to women, 20 percent to the youth and also now we are including differently abled and that group as well . So all those groups will be involved in growing Black Belly, to develop this brand.”
Regarding the plans for the newly arrived sheep, Minister Mustapha said the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will be tasked with weaning the sheep and ensuring that they are acclimatized to Guyana’s climate as well as introduce them to their new diets.
He also said that work is progressing rapidly in Region Five to prepare pastures for the remaining additional sheep that are scheduled to arrive in Guyana.
