There is a potential market for goat and sheep meat, milk and cheese in T&T. This was relayed by the Director of Animal Production and Health in the Ministry of Agriculture, Cheryl Roach-Benn.
She was speaking on behalf of Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj at the opening of a two-day workshop entitled Improving Small Ruminant Production Based on Suitable Forages and Management, at the Centeno Livestock Station, El Carmen, on Wednesday."According to the Centre for Food and Nutrition, T&T has witnessed a marked increase in its consumption habits with respect to animal protein," Roach-Benn said.
"However, what the data also shows is there is a potential market and opportunity to increase the local production levels of not only meat, but milk production from both goat and sheep."The Central Statistical Office reports that over 85 per cent of the sheep and goat meat consumed in T&T is imported.
"Recently goat milk and cheese have become staples on our grocery shelves and the demand for small ruminant products continues to increase whilst production lags behind consumption."
IICA's representative in the Dominican Republic, livestock scientist Dr Manuel Sanchez, said the goat milk and cheese produced in T&T were the best food he had eaten and were free from contamination of brucellosis and milk fever that are common in Mexico.
IICA representative in T&T Gregg Rawlins said appropriate production techniques were lacking in the areas of nutrition and management, production units, reproductive management and sanitary aspects.
Cardi representative Dr Janet Lawrence said the competitiveness of the domestic small ruminant industry was impacted by the quality of breeding stock, high import costs, improper husbandry and farm management practices, limited marketing and processing, limited use of value-added products, poorly organised farmer groups, non-communication with each other and inadequate information flow among stakeholders in the industry.
TTGSS president John Borely said the sector was sitting on an enterprise filled with promise and the potential to produce high quality products.Borely said goat milk was the best and healthiest milk in the world, and its meat was more nutritious than rabbit and also had strong cultural links with the Caribbean, especially Jamaica.