The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Uganda has handed over nine Chinese hybrid goats, known as Jianzhou big-eared goats, to two research institutes to boost goat breeding and production. The goats — three males and six females — were imported under the FAO-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation (SSC) project and kept under quarantine before being transferred to the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank.
Uganda’s minister for animal industry, Bright Rwamirama, said the initiative would expand goat production for export, praising China for sharing the breed. “The purpose is research, breeding, and multiplying for farmers’ access,” he noted during the handover in Entebbe.
Zhang Xiaoqiang, head of the Chinese agriculture team, emphasized the goats’ potential to enhance production and quality in Uganda’s goat industry. FAO Representative Yergalem Taages Beraki called the introduction a milestone in South-South cooperation, stressing that the goats are hardy, fast-growing, and well-suited to Uganda’s climate.
According to NARO, local breeds like Mubende and Small East African goats gain 25–35 kg in two years, while the Jianzhou breed can reach 45 kg in just 18 months, offering higher productivity and resilience.
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