If there’s one meat dish Ugandan people really enjoy, that’s goat meat. Across the country in restaurants, bars and clubs, the aroma of roasted goat meat wafts enticingly, attracting people at all hours of the day and night. 

“In Kampala City, over 1,000 goats are consumed every day. Farmers in Uganda cannot supply enough goats. Some are imported from neighbouring countries including Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya,” said Gerald Sebalu, who owns five goat roasting eateries in Kampala.  

According to the last National Livestock Census, Uganda has around 17.4 million indigenous goats scattered across the country, reared on farms each with a few hundred goats and on a small scale by subsistence farmers who keep between four and 10 goats each.  

Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda’s minister of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries, told ChinAfrica that the number of goats in the country cannot adequately supply enough meat for the country’s ever-growing population, and there is a growing need to increase the number of goats. 

It is therefore not surprising that breeding goats were recently imported under the FAO-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation Project, a tripartite initiative aimed at transferring agricultural technologies and best practices from China to Uganda. The move has been welcomed by farmers and politicians in Uganda.  

Since 2012, under the tripartite cooperation framework, China has introduced several agricultural inputs like high yielding rice and millet to Uganda, and sent agricultural experts to work directly with Ugandan farmers, sharing skills and technologies. Chinese hybrid goats were also identified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) as a key breed to help to transform Uganda’s goat farming sector.  

Local goats inadequate  

According to senior animal husbandry development officer Aggrey Kalebi, while Uganda’s indigenous goats are well-adapted to local conditions, they have many disadvantages, including a slow growth rate, whereby they tend to grow slower than more exotic or crossbred goats, which affects meat production efficiency.  

“Our goats have a small body size, which results in lower meat yields. On average, indigenous goat carcasses weigh between 10 and 17 kg. Their milk yields are generally low and they are susceptible to various diseases and parasites, which impact their productivity and health,” said Kelbi.  

Peter Odoi, director of the Goat Project Uganda, an organisation that provides goats to poor Ugandan women to increase their income, told ChinAfrica in an interview that Uganda has only about 17 million goats, and that is a small number. “We do not have enough goats in the country. Recently some Arab countries wanted to import goats from Uganda, but the country failed to raise enough goats to export,” said Odoi. 

He said there was a need to improve goat livestock with high-quality goats, which reproduce at a fast rate and have good-quality meat. He referred to the importing of hybrid goats from China as a good move to improve the goat population in Uganda.  

“The local goats take a long time to grow and do not put on much weight. It is for those reasons that Uganda has taken a significant step towards boosting its livestock industry by acquiring hybrid goats from China,” said Tumwebaze. 

It is therefore not surprising that the government of Uganda has resorted to importing hybrid goats from China to improve its livestock. The goats from China, known as Jianzhou big-eared goats, are a crossbreed between the Anglo-Nubian goat and the local goat breed in Jianyang of Sichuan Province, and will be bred with local Ugandan goats. 

Hybrid goat benefits 

The goats arrived at Entebbe International Airport in early July from Chengdu, capital Sichuan Province. The shipment consisted of three bucks (males) and six does (females). 

After being received at the airport, they were transported to National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank, where, according to the commissioner for animal health at MAAIF Rose Ademun, they will undergo a research and multiplication period. 

“The Jianzhou big-eared goat is a superior meat breed known for its rapid growth, high carcass yield, and adaptability to various agro-climatic conditions,” said Ademun. 

She thanked China for sharing the breed and said that apart from increasing meat output, the imported goats will also be used to crossbreed with local goats to improve productivity, ultimately raising farmers’ incomes. 

Julius Twinamasiko, head of the Uganda side of the FAO-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation Project, said farmers in Uganda would acquire valuable skills in modern goat husbandry through the programme. “A lot is expected from these goats. If all goes well, they are going to increase goat production and also increase meat production.” 

Chinese livestock expert Xiao Zhan told ChinAfrica that these goats will benefit farmers. “Among their advantages are rapid growth, production of high- quality meat and adaptability, whereby they can thrive in various climatic conditions, making them suitable for different regions in Uganda,” he said.  

Assistant programme officer at MAAIF Peter Muyimbo, told ChinAfrica that the government plans to use these goats to improve the country’s goat meat production and strengthen the livestock industry. “After these goats undergo research and multiplication, they will be distributed to farmers across the country. Crossbreeding the Jianzhou big-eared goats with local breeds will improve farmers’ productivity and increase their income,” he said.  

“The importation of the hybrid goats is a significant step towards modernising our livestock industry. The hybrid goats will also generate employment. We’re confident that these goats will thrive in our local climate and help us to meet the growing demand for meat in the country,” said Tumwebaze. 

A dealer in goats in Kampala John Bamuturaki said that he is excited about the potential of the hybrid goats to improve the local breed and increase meat production. “The fast growth rate and high carcass yield of these goats can help to increase our income,” Bamuturaki told ChinAfrica.