ABOUT 200 small ruminants are to be imported under the Small Ruminant Development Programme by the end of March, to be distributed to farmers for expansion of the sector.

In his address at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries press briefing on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Pearnel Charles Jr said a permit has also been issued by the ministry to the Small Ruminant Association for an additional 37 small ruminants.

As part of ongoing efforts to expand the programme, he said the ministry continues with its artificial insemination and embryo transfer programme.

“Farmers are being reminded to call in to indicate their interest in participating,” he encouraged.

Meanwhile, as the ministry works to increase local capacity for production of baby chicks, the minister encouraged investors to explore other source markets from Brazil and Canada.

“These are potential places from which we could consider importing hatching eggs as well as further sourcing from the United States, to ensure that we have consistent supply of baby chicks to meet the increasing demand,” he said.

With the increase in the price of grains, the minister noted that there have been meetings with stakeholders to find possible solutions to reduce the level of price increases to farmers.

“Through our Research and Development Division, we will continue to conduct research on how we can use indigenous material to develop new formulae for production of low-cost feeds for our animals,” the minister said.

“We are continuing our dialogue with local fertiliser producers and suppliers to find workable solutions to the logistics and input supply challenges which are driving the price increases,” he added.

On poultry supply and price increases, Minister Charles Jr said although production is down by seven per cent from pre-COVID levels, it has been trending up during the past two months.

In addition, $50 million in support for poultry farmers is being made available through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to assist with increasing production and cushioning the level of price increases.

— JIS