Local production of sheep has gone up by 20% compared to the previous year, a number of herd and livestock owners told local Arabic daily 'Arrayah'.
They have made contracts with some traders at the Central Market to supply them with a good number of sheep in the coming days as part of getting ready to meet the expected high demand during the holy month of Ramadan. Some sheep and farm owners have even turned to social media to market their products.
The farmers pointed out that to reach the desired level of self-sufficiency for Arab meat products, the concerned authorities should give more subsidies and support to the herd owners and distribute them more barns to help them increase production. They suggested that good Arab breeds of sheep should be imported and resold to the herd owners and barn owners to contribute in their efforts in increasing production.
Besides, a livestock market could be introduced near to the barns complex areas so it would ease the marketing process, as herd owners could sell their products directly to the consumers. Mohamed Fahd called for the need to distribute livestock barns to dedicated herd owners to encourage them to increase production. He said that rearing sheep and goats require great efforts and the owner should give them all the due care to get good production in addition to the necessary veterinary services and quality fodder. All this requires support from the entities concerned, he stressed.
Abdulla al-Murikhi pointed out that the local production of sheep is often of high quality and much preferred by consumers over the imported sheep. According to him, the locally produced sheep is usually sold for QR1,100 to QR1,400 per head to the consumers by traders even though the herd and barn owners sell them in the range of QR700-800 per head.
Ali Haydan said that the herd owners face various challenges and need more support from the entities concerned to help them enhance the production and meet the rising demand and achieve the desired self-sufficiency in this area. Saoud al-Marri said he is keen to maintain excellent breeds. However, there is a need for more veterinary services to help protect the livestock from various diseases they are exposed to throughout the year, which could cause some losses to the owners.