One of the 50 purebred goats that arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport on Monday, March 27, 2023.

Jamaica’s small ruminant industry will benefit from improved goat breed, thanks to the expansion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Small Ruminant Development Programme with the importation of 50 purebred goats.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Pearnel Charles Jr, said the 50 purebred goats, consisting of Boer, Nubian, and Kiko breeds, which arrived on the island at the Norman Manley International Airport on Monday, March 27, will increase Jamaica’s stock of goats with high-quality genetics, decreasing the need for importation.

“This is an enormous positive for agriculture that will provide several benefits for our farmers, particularly our farmers who have been yearning for the higher quality genetics that will allow for the goats to reproduce faster and produce greater yield with meat and milk,” said Charles Jr.

He notes that the goats represent the first batch of 200 to arrive in Jamaica and are tagged to combat praedial larceny, a significant hindrance to building the small ruminant industry.

“Our ultimate goal is to have resilience in our sector and reduce the incidents of praedial larceny. So, all of these goats come already tagged and traceable. This is the kind of efficient mechanisms we want to introduce across the sector,” the agriculture minister outlined.

Chief Technical Director at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Orville Palmer, said the goats will be used as a part of the ministry’s research programme.

“We are going to evaluate their feed conversation cost where we will use different fodder material to feed these animals and see how they respond to these local, indigenous material,” said Palmer.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer for the Jamaica Dairy Development Board, Devon Sayers, said the offspring from these goats, particularly the Nubian breed, will be used to supply farmers in the cottage industry that produce cheese and other dairy products using goat milk.

“This is a part of the Dairy Board’s growth as it changes the landscape of dairy. It is not just about cows. If you look at the numbers global, in Europe, Eastern Africa, and the Middle East, goats are a big part of the dairy sector. As such, this is a very great initiative for the country and we look forward to getting it where it should be,” Sayers highlighted.

Furthermore, State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Franklin Witter, shared that the goats will contribute to supplying local demand.

“We know there is a great demand for goat meat, and we are not able to supply that demand. We import 80% of the goat meat that we consume so this project will assist farmers in meeting this demand,” said Witter.

In August of 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries established a programme to develop the small ruminant industry in Jamaica through genetic improvement and sustainable breed multiplication programmes.  The intention is to improve the quality of breeding stock, which will then be provided to small ruminant farmers at an affordable cost.

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