Research Highlights

The All India Coordinated Research Project on Goats (for Mohair Production) located at M. P. A. U.,Rahuri has evolved a strain of mohair goat out of the crossing of exotic Angora with the local goats. This newly evolved strain is capable of producing 1.5 kg of Mohair at 87’5% exotic inheritance level. This genotype is considered to be very suitable to serve as the base line for evolving ‘INDIAN ANGORA’.

Improving production performance of goats through selective breeding

• Developed a model to implement genetic improvement programme in goat in different agro-climatic zones. Subsequently the project design is being used to develop national breeding plan for goats all over the country.
• The project has established the breed potential and has effectively established the yield gap in 13 different breed. Therefore the optimum management practice needs to be adopted for optimum productivity.
• Farmers achieved “breed survivor award” & come forward to conserve their native germ-plasm.
• Created awareness and demonstrated that the goat farming is a suitable venture for business initiative.
• The increasing trend in body weight from base population is observed indicating use of superior breeding bucks by villagers over the years. There is an increase in performance of the goats over the year in adopted villages. The fertility and viability is increasing year after year.
• Genetic parameters are estimated for growth traits, average daily gain and milk yield traits in all the breeds.
• Genetic trends were estimated for each trait by regression of EBV averages on year of birth, weighted by the number of animals in each year. A positive genetic trend was obtained for milk yield in Jamunapari goat population and showing significant improvement over the years in milk yield during 90 and 140 days.
• Indicator traits for resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes have been established in Indian goats. The study showed the variability in resistance pattern in response to natural contortus infection in selected flocks of Barbari and Jamunapari goats and established genetic correlation with indicator traits and growth parameters.
• Jamunapari, Barbari and Sirohi units have supplied 1417, 2098 and 1279 improved animals, respectively during the period to different State Govt. / NGOs and farmers for breed improvement programme respectively.

Conservation of Goat

1. AICRP on Goat Improvement is operational at 461 villages covering 3840 farmers. The performance recording was carried out in 25622 animals.
2. The farm based units namely Jamunapari, Barbari and Sirohi are working as a best model for in-situ & ex-situ conservation of the breed
3. The project facilitated in situ conservation of Jamunapari, Sangamneri and Surti, threatened goat breeds, of the country.
4. Semen of the different goat breeds has been preserved for conservation.
5. Goat keepers from AICRP adopted village won the Breed Saviour Awards sponsored by the National Biodiversity Authority for Osmanabadi and Malabari Goats.

Livelihood Security and Socio-economic development

1. The Socio-economic benefits were realized by the goat keepers covered under this Project.
2. AICRP units have created Awareness among goat keepers about how to increase their incomes from goat rearing by improving management at low cost, knowing weights of sale kids and using this knowledge to bargain with traders purchasing kids.
3. The Socio-economic studies revealed that in the Nadia district of West Bengal state the goat rearing proved more beneficial to the goat keepers having basic knowledge of animal husbandry. The annual income of a family was ₹. 2384.06 from goat rearing.
4. The Socio-economic studies revealed that in the Ganjam district of Orissa state the goat is a primary source of income of tribes (Gola). The goat rearing contributed 61.54 percent of their annual income.
5. Involved Rural Women Self Help Groups of DevlaliPravara (Ahmednagar), Dodi (Nashik) and Belha (Pune) in the Improvement Programme and motivated them to sale goat kids on live weight basis.
6. Preventive health care was provided to 48716 animals per year. The health care is being taken up sincerely in farmer’s flock indicating that the mortality rate varied from 3.8 to 8.9%. This has not only contributed for increasing population growth but also improving the farmer’s income by 22% to 35%. A higher population growth amongst breeds resulted into increased selection intensity for better genetic gain.
7. Surti Field Unit, NAU, Navsari, Gujarat notified goat cooperative comprised of five adopted villages involving 40 goat farmers.

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