Local mutton producer eagerly awaiting arrival of more Black Belly sheep from Barbados

By Andrew Carmichael

The first batch of Black Belly sheep arrived in Guyana from Barbados in August, and have already been distributed to farmers.
Other mutton producers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of more sheep, as they anticipate great successes from this flagship project piloted by President Dr Irfaan Ali.

One farmer from West Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) who expects to benefit from the arrival of the Black Belly sheep from Barbados, has found ways to use the animal to boost his mutton production. He says he can have animals weighing 80 pounds within three months.
Lackan Ramlagan of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice has already prepared the pasture from which he would get grass to feed the new stock of sheep he is expecting. Currently a member of the West Berbice Sheep and Goat Association, Ramlagan has about 200 sheep. He says he has been crossing the Black Belly breed with the Texanna, Dorpa and Katadyn breeds to get more meaty animals.
“With the crossing of the Black Belly with the Dorpa and the Texanna, you would have the meat on them. The Texanna is the meat sheep, and when you cross it with the Black Belly, you get what you are looking for,” he said. Those animals, he said, drop twice annually, giving between one and two lambs on each occasion.
The Black Belly sheep that Ramlagan currently has are not pure breed animals, and he is hoping that those from Barbados will give better results when crossed.
“Well, that would impact my flock very good, because the animals are full-bred animals. You have to cut grass for them; you don’t loose them out in the pasture,” he said.

Ramlagan is very appreciative that the Black belly Sheep Project was launched in Region Five, and is targeting farmers of that region.
President Dr Irfaan Ali, during the launch of the flagship Black Belly Sheep Project at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice back in March, had said the project is intended to pave the way for Guyana to tap into the region’s hefty food-importation bill, which sees CARICOM countries collectively spending some US$43 million on import of mutton alone. And even though Guyana’s food production capabilities are impressive, the country still imports approximately US$130,000 worth of mutton.

US$3M investment
With an initial investment of US$3 million, Dr Ali said, the onset of the Black Belly Sheep Project targets 2,000 head of sheep, and is slated for significant expansion in order to produce at least 7,000 tonnes of mutton by the end of five years.
Secretary of the West Berbice Sheep and Goat Association, Debra Gopaul, said the Association is eagerly looking forward for the arrival of the next batch of sheep.
“We have already constructed a grass plot because it is a zero-grazing project, and so, should Mr Ramlagan be a beneficiary from the project, it would enhance his business in terms of marketing. Within a three-month period, we would actually be able to have pure bred Black Belly crossed with a Dorpa and the Texanna, and we can have a 70-80-pound animal within three months,” she said.
This, the association’s secretary said, would be good enough for the market. She said what the association is doing is trying to cut the cost associated with the importation of lamb into Guyana.
“If we could have the pure bread Dorpa ewe and ram, we would have more weight in three months. You can go to 100 pounds and over. Since we don’t have the pure-bred Dorpa in the country, we actually have a cross,” Gopaul explained adding that she is hoping that most of the farmers who are members of the Association would become beneficiaries of the Black Belly Sheep Project.
President Ali, at the launch of the project back in March, had pointed out that the world import value on mutton and mutton products is US$8B. He said Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are the four major markets that Guyana can target.