The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries, Cooperatives and Rural Development is aiming to increase livestock production and reduce the island’s food import bill by giving the Beausejour Agricultural Station a boost.

The project will be implemented by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and funded through the India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA) fund for poverty and hunger alleviation.

Director of Agricultural Services, Dr. Felix Jaria, said one of the objectives of the program is to make the Beausejour Agricultural Station a centre of excellence for livestock activities.

“Towards this end we are considering artificial insemination , and also improving our breeds. We recently received quite a bit of small ruminants to assist us in that vein so that we would produce the animals and then supply them to farmers who can subsequently improve their grades.”

The main objective of the IBSA fund is to benefit developing countries around the world.

Projects have been funded in countries such as Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Haiti, Palestine and Vietnam and range from promoting food security, health, and education, to capacity building and rural electrification.