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Taiwan-Belize Joint Project Doubles Sheep and Goat Industry in Decade
The TaiwanICDF and Belize’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE) have successfully concluded a decade-long cooperative effort with the completion of the Breeding Sheep and Goat Production and Guidance System Enhancement Project. The TaiwanICDF’s work on the project officially ended in March 2025, and the project was formally transferred to MAFSE Minister Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai on behalf of the Government of Belize.
The handover ceremony took place on March 31 at the National Sheep and Goat Breeding Center located at Central Farm in the Cayo District of central Belize. Following a welcome speech by Central Farm Manager Mr. Shamir Carillo, farm Director Mr. Andrew Maria presented a briefing on the project’s results. Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize, H.E. Lily Hsu, expressed hope that the sheep and goat industry would become a sustainable source of livelihood for the Belizean people, while also contributing to the country’s food security and economic development. Minister Mai expressed his gratitude for Taiwan’s long-standing partnership and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the continued development of Belize’s livestock industry.
The ceremony included a symbolic signing of the project transfer document by the leader of the Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize, Mr. Robert Pan, and Minister Mai. Mr. Pan noted that cooperation on the project began in 2015 with the Genetic Improvement in Sheep and Goat Project, which successfully expanded the certified breeding stock at the National Breeding Center from 20 to 244 heads. In 2018, the center began selling high-quality breeding stock to farmers. Building on that foundation, the TaiwanICDF and MAFSE launched the enhancement project to further establish a sound production system, scale up capacity, and strengthen the industry’s value chain — comprehensively promoting the development of Belize’s sheep and goat industry.
TaiwanICDF Deputy Secretary General Pei-Fen Hsieh explained that over the course of nearly 10 years, the TaiwanICDF has tackled the challenge of poor livestock breed quality by offering comprehensive technical cooperation in both software and hardware. This included constructing the modern National Sheep and Goat Breeding Center at Central Farm, introducing superior sheep and goat genetic resources, and providing capacity-building training to more than 900 local farmers, teachers, students, and technicians. A traceability system was also established to support sustainable herd management. As a result, the industry has doubled in scale over the past decade.
Deputy Secretary-General Hsieh further shared that the Taiwan Technical Mission also assisted local stakeholders in developing markets for lamb and dairy products, as well as value-added byproducts. They even introduced local adaptations of Taiwanese lamb recipes — such as stir-fried lamb with sweet potato leaves — to improve market acceptance in Belize of cuisine made with lamb.
- 更新日期: 2025/04/15
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