Dear Editor,
In a news item of Jan 19, Kaieteur News reported that the Ministry of Agriculture’s Artificial Insemination Laboratory project has attracted two bids for the supply, delivery and installation of lab equipment. The lower of the two is for US$12.4M. This follows on “Cabinet’s greenlighting the construction of a $28m AI lab at NAREI.”
These expenditures must obviously be components of a programme aimed at boosting livestock production locally. Other elements must therefore be the training of laboratory professionals and support staff, and a large number of field operatives, in addition to furnishing them with the requisite materiel, necessitating again not inconsiderable sums.
In light of such significant expenditures on delivering technologies which have had far from satisfactory results locally, one must question the rigour of analyses – scientific, economic, production, sociological – that this resurrected programme is being based on. Surely attention should have been paid to the considerable sums expended by the National Dairy Development Programme in the recent past, and its very limited, if not questionable achievements. The experiences of the Livestock Development Company and the grand dairy scheme at Moblissa are also salutary.
And if sheep AI is targeted, will the large numbers of smallholders scattered throughout the coast and riverain enclaves, not discounting the more far-flung savannahs be ‘educated’ and enthused enough to effectively manage oestrus synchronization and controlled breeding?
Most of our rearers/farmers loathe making capital investments in their operations; who will therefore foot the bill for the requisite improvements in infrastructure? Also, will there be an element of cost-recovery for the ministry-provided services; will the recipients be willing to pay?
One would have thought that the glaring inefficiencies and colossal waste of the much vaunted ‘Texana’ sheep-breeding project would have by now influenced rational and pragmatic approaches to the development of the local livestock sector. Our history shows that expensive, sophisticated breeding and production projects are incompatible with the vagaries and challenges of the hot, humid tropics.
Since livestock development is painstaking and of relatively long duration, one would hope that the incumbent Minister, as someone with a scientific background will show leadership by collaborating with his technical officers and kindred spirits in charting an holistic livestock development programme. But the programme will only be as good as its implementation; hence devising relevant, workable strategies based on the lessons of the past is an obvious corollary.
Progress in the livestock sector will be assured when technologies which are appropriate for our climatic conditions, consistent with our cultural mores and affordable by our farmers are pursued.
Yours faithfully,
Vernon Mc Pherson
