Belize-Taiwan ICDF’s sheep and goat breeding project is now in the second phase

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Melanio Pech said Belize-Taiwan ICDF’s sheep and goat breeding project is in its second phase.

The program’s Phase One started in December 2015 and the second phase was started last month after being signed by the governments of the Republic of China – Taiwan, and Belize.

Pech, speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fооd Ѕесurіtу, аnd Еntеrрrіѕе (MOA) this afternoon, said that the sheep and goat project ought to follow the steps of the livestock industry to become successful.

Pech said that under the agreement, the Taiwan technical mission will continue to provide guidance systems for the farmers to improve the quality and quantity of sheep and goats stock.

For the industry to survive it has to follow a process; its different entities have to be well organized.

“We need to have quality breeding sheep, good genetics, in order to be able to improve productivity in the country. This is one of the main reasons why the sheep project started, bearing in mind that there was low productivity in the country,” said Pech.

Pech said that the industry suffered from inbreeding problems and so the first phase of the project addressed that situation by introducing three breeds of sheep from the United States which are now producing at the National Breeding Center in Central Farm.

The second phase of the project is boosting the production of breeding stocks.

This year it is hoped that another importation of sheep will come in as well for breeding stocks for two milking species said, Pech.

Under the Taiwan project, Pech said they expect to build another breeding center at Central Farm.

The existing “the breeding center in Central Farm is very modern, one of the most modern in Central America, but right now it’s almost overstocked with 400 sheep,” said Pech.

The new barn will afford them better control of the herd and will be used for breeding lambs up to the weaning stage and then they will be transferred to the already existing barn where they will be kept, up to the time they are ready for sale to farmers

Pech said the second phase will address the marketing of the product both locally and regionally.

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