THE first flock of the Black Belly sheep from Barbados is expected in Guyana shortly, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha announced recently.

He was at the time addressing residents of No.28 Village and surrounding communities in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). Some 1,000 sheep will be transported in smaller flocks over the coming weeks.

“We will be having 1,000 Black Belly sheep coming from Barbados; the ship will be leaving Tuesday to bring the first set of sheep,” the minister stated.
The sheep are expected to arrive in Guyana within 48 hours after departure from Barbados. Before they were cleared to be shipped, they were examined for signs of illness.

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali launched the Black Belly sheep project in Region Five back in March, where he declared that it could be the livestock capital of the Caribbean. It is an investment of US$3 million for 2,000 Black Belly sheep.

The second batch of sheep will arrive in the near future. Close to 100 farmers have already signalled their intention to be a part of the project, and have made close to 1,400 acres of their land available for that purpose.

“The President has instructed that 30 per cent of women and 20 per cent of youth must be involved in the project; not only men,” the minister noted. President Ali, at the launch of the project, pointed out that the world import value on mutton and mutton products is US$8B. CARICOM alone imports 7,900 tonnes of mutton at US$48M annually. Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are the four major markets that Guyana can target, the President had pointed out.

“We have right within our arms’ reach a market that can generate a value of US$48M. And who supplies CARICOM right now? Australia and New Zealand,” President Ali said, adding: “With the cost of freight and logistics cost increases, it is becoming more and more expensive; that is why this is a low-hanging fruit. CARICOM is right within our arms reach.

“I am presenting you this to show you the opportunities, so that you will know that in this project, there are great opportunities. This is not a project by guess; this is a project that is supported by scientific research, market research, and strong negotiations on the trade side.”

The government, in its 2022 budget, has earmarked $28.7B to ensuring the rapid growth and development of Guyana’s agriculture sector. (DPI)