Kerala university breeds superior goat

Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has successfully cross-bred a new strain of goats with high weight gain and good meat texture.

The meat was expected to sell well, making goat farming popular in the state. The development of the new strain was done by a post-graduate research team at the University and took 10 months.

The success would revolutionise Kerala's goat farming sector, KAU research scientist Dr P Nandakumar claimed.

Poor meat quality and slow weight gain of existing strains had led farmers to shun goat rearing. Goat farming and meat production had remained stagnant for years.

Nandakumar, head of KAU's goat and sheep farm said that the newly developed strain was cross-bred using local Malabari, Swiss Alpine and South African Boer breeds.

The new strain would attain body weight of 12.5 kg at three months and 20 kg by six months compared to 4.5kg in three months and 8-10 kg in six months for Malabari goats.

The average daily weight gain of the new variety was 40 gm against 20 gm per day for the Malabari strain. Mortality was six per cent for the new variety against 12 per cent for the Malabari.

The KAU strain would yield superior meat and boost the meat industry in the state, he claimed. It would have tropical adaptability and could be bred as easily as the South African Boer.

The strain would be ideal for goat meat production. The appropriate package for rearing was being worked out.

It was not economical for farmers to rear slow-growing varieties which took nine months to attain 12 kg body weight. The new variety would weigh 30 kg in nine months with the same fodder intake.

The new strain would have the qualities of local varieties, like low climatic stress, good resistance to disease and adaptability to local fodder.

KAU experts said the improved South African Boer goat was in many respects suitable for India but importing them would costs not less than Rs 25,000 per animal.

Importing goats and other animals was risky as they brought in diseases from their country. Treatment for imported diseases was difficult.

Meat of goats was popular in Europe, north America and west and south-east Asia as it had much less fat than meat from lambs.

The global goat meat sector was dominated by Australia, which produced 3.7 million tonne in 2000 worth $15 million.

With 2.2 million heads of goats, meat production in India was worth only $600,000. Australian growers used a locally cross-bred strain as Australia had no true meat breeds.

Growers there imported Boer goats from South Africa in 1990 and cross-bred them with feral goats to develop an animal with better meat quality and high-yielding properties. The crossbred animals were Boer bucks mated to feral and dairy goats.

Canada, USA and France have recently launched goat meat development programmes using European Spanish and Alpine strains and the Boer. A suitable strain would make India a leading global meat player.