Belize has donated breeding sheep, including the Barbados Black Belly sheep to Guatemala that will be used to improve the existing genetic stock at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of the Republic of Guatemala (MAGA).
A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE),said that in collaboration with the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) Breeding Sheep and Goat Production and Guidance System Enhancement Project, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country had donated the Dorper, Katahdin, and Barbados Black Belly sheep breeds to Guatemala.
“The donation follows a memorandum of agreement signed between MAFSE and MAGA in 2022 to advance the agricultural development of both countries in technical areas such as livestock, agro-processing, fruit trees, research, innovation, and technological transfer.
“This agreement has also resulted in Belize’s technical officers receiving training in various thematic areas in Guatemala and Guatemalan officers visiting Belize to offer training sessions,” the statement noted.
It said that Belize government remains committed to regional partnerships for the growth and development of the agricultural sector and that the donation also forms a wider partnership with the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) through advancing the sheep sub-sector in Belize and the region.
Belize and Guatemala have had a long running border dispute with Guatemala claiming the whole or part of Belize since 1940. The issue is now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). (CMC)
