‘Ministry improving Awassi sheep stock amid rise in regional demand’

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture is distributing 200 improved Awassi rams to farmers to develop the gene pool of local sheep, an official said recently.

Due to increased demand across the region for Awassi sheep, the ministry is seeking to help breeders improve their flocks, the ministry’s spokesperson, Nimer Haddadin, told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

“A total of 200 improved Awassi rams are distributed every year to farmers to improve the flocks of local sheep,” Haddadin said. 

An ordinary Awassi sheep produces around 1kg of milk, while an improved sheep can produce double that amount, he said. 

“In addition, the likelihood of an ordinary Awassi sheep producing twins stands at 5 per cent, while the likelihood of an improved local sheep producing twins is 15 per cent,” the ministry official added.

Improving the local sheep stock supports farmers, Haddadin said, noting that the step also seeks to increase the country’s exports of local sheep.

“More than half-a-million heads of Awassi sheep are exported annually to Gulf countries, and as of this year, the Kingdom also started exporting its local sheep to Bahrain and Kuwait,” the official highlighted.

He said that there are programmes to increase the number of Awassi sheep in the country, noting that there are two stations in Karak and Tafileh for producing and distributing improved sheep.

The Awassi is the most numerous and widespread breed of sheep in southwest Asia, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

It is the dominant breed in Iraq, the most important sheep in Syria and the only indigenous breed of sheep in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the FAO says on its website.