The
Network of Animal Breeders and Multipliers has organised training for its
members on different ways to breed animals such as sheep, goat and poultry.
The training was held at the Sahel Plaza along Kairaba Avenue on Saturday.
Momodou Jeng of the International Trypanotolerance Centre (ICT) said animal breeding nowadays is very difficult to deal with because people who are involved in the breeding process have different concepts towards it.
“For instance, others when asked which animal is the best in breeding, say the healthiest one while others say the best animals is the one that can produce more milk and meat,” he said.
Mr Jeng said inbreeding is the situation where animals of the same family mate each other, like sister to sister, mother to daughter, and mother to mother.
“If such happen with animals that are so close to each other, it can cause a very dangerous thing to either one animal or both the animals.So just like in humans it is a sin to marry people who are so close to each other likewise animals,” he explained.
Dr Omar Touray, one of the founders of network of animal breeders, said the network want to revive the Gambian system wherein during feasts like Tobaski, people will not buy ram or the cost of ram will not be expensive because everyone will be breeding it.
He said they want people especially the young ones to be involved in animal breeding and use the best breeding practices.
Dr Touray explained that the network will be dealing with the breeding of all animals but for now priority is given to sheep, goat and poultry.
He said they are ready to work closely with the government through the Department of Agriculture and that of livestock service as well as other partners like ICT.
