The local mutton industry recently received a significant boost with the sale of the specially bred Texana rams to 24 farmers across the country, particularly in light of moves to diversify the local agriculture sector.

According to the Director of the national Agricultural research Institute, Dr. Oudho Homenauth the activity is another success story in the many ongoing initiatives in the agriculture sector.

“Appropriate and relevant bio-technological methods were selected for the introduction of this breed. The methods I am referring to are embryo transplants and laparoscopic insemination. I believe it was the first time this type of AI was done on a large scale in sheep in Guyana,” the NARI Director disclosed.

This positive development in the local agricultural sector could now lay the foundation for Guyana to become an exporter of mutton to this region which is a heavy importer of this meat. In addition with the Takutu Bridge now in operation Brazil could be another market for locally produced mutton.

In fact, one of the concerns in this region has been the extremely high dependency on food imports from outside the region to satisfy demand with the annual food import bill reaching some US$3 billion.

A study under the CARICOM Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture Competitiveness of Small Ruminants notes that consumption of sheep and goat meat in CARICOM is highly dependent on imports from New Zealand and Australia. Overall, the Region imports approximately 75 % of its consumption requirements of both meats. In 2004, imports were valued at US$ 23.3 m with over 88 % being sheep meat. Our estimate is that the total value of the industry with respect to only meat is approximately US$ 30 – 40 m. Estimated CARICOM consumption is approximately 15000 tonnes. However, the actual levels of consumption and self sufficiency vary among countries as well as between mutton and chevron (goat meat) meats.

Imports of mutton and chevron into the CARICOM Region averaged 10,343 tonnes (2002/04) with 64% of the total value of imports coming from Australia and 30% from New Zealand. The USA’s market share in the Region was estimated at only just about 5% in value terms. Jamaica is the largest importer in the Region, followed by Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica, as do other relatively large importers (The Bahamas, Barbados) imports mostly meats of sheep while Trinidad and Tobago’s imports are mixed – about 65% sheep meat and 35% goat.

The study further pointed out that the regional meat production has been dominated by Jamaica, which produces an average of 1,500 tonnes annually. Production in Guyana, Antigua, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, The Bahamas and Grenada are much less than Jamaica, but remain reasonably high when compared to St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Suriname, Montserrat and Belize the smallest producers in the region. CARICOM countries also produce small quantities of breeding stock for exports. Barbados is a major exporter of the Barbados Black Belly Sheep, while Trinidad and Tobago exports both sheep and goat, the majority within the region.

While CARICOM countries have ready access to relatively cheap supplies of frozen mutton and chevron from extra-regional sources, most consumers in the Region have a strong preference for fresh mutton and chevron produced from local flocks. This, in part, is reflected by the much higher prices consumers are willing to pay for the latter. This distinction and preference provides the basis for the observed segmentation of the domestic market between locally produced fresh meats and frozen imports. Notwithstanding this segmentation, there is a trigger price at which imports begin to substitute for fresh. The level of this trigger price depends on the individual’s income level as well as cultural background.

If current agricultural production is sustained and even increased Guyana could take a bigger slice of the regional food market which of course would mean greater benefits for the local economy with respect to jobs, foreign currency, employment opportunities and several spin-off business enterprises.