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It has been a slow and steady shift over decades. Forced by declining returns from farming in ecologically fragile areas, small farmers have been taking to goat rearing. Today, goats ensure income to five million households in India. It is now bonanza time, with demand for goat meat projected to shoot up. India will have to almost double its goat population in 10 years. Government is encouraging goat rearing. But no one considered one question: where will the goats graze? Over the past 50 years land available for grazing has shrunk by half and forests are reportedly overgrazed.
Giyasilal Saini is a marginal farmer who has market savvy. It comes from experience. Living in a semi-arid area like Alwar in Rajasthan, he always knew he could not depend on farming alone. So he would keep some goats, like others in village Jaitpura. Then three years ago the pond that irrigated his tiny field dried up. “Rains have not been enough. I spent a fortune on irrigating my field but could not grow enough for my family,” said the 36-year-old. He devoted his energy to goat rearing.
Within three years Saini’s herd grew from 20 to 80-strong, the largest in his village. “They serve as a 24-hour cash bank,” he said, closely inspecting the mouths of goats. He displayed two large teeth in the lower front jaw of one of the goats. “It means the chhendi (goat) is over 12 months old and the thickness of its backbone suggests it has gained 40 kg of weight,” said Saini. “I can now sell it for at least Rs 15000.”
Goat rearing is not capital intensive, hence easy to start. The partially denuded Aravali hills provide free grazing ground; that saves close to 70 per cent of the rearing cost. Being prolific eaters with super efficient digestive system, goats can eat anything anytime.
Market demands
What is also pushing goat numbers is the rising demand for goat meat in India, both for domestic and international market. Consumption demand is more pronounced in urban areas that are growing at the rate of 2.5 per cent per year. While rural population has grown at 1.7 per cent a year between 1981 and 2001, urban population has grown at 3 per cent.
India is the largest goat meat producer after China. The rate of goat meat production (18.6 per cent) in 1997-2007 was double the production rate (9.3 per cent) in the previous decade. Despite a steady increase in supply, goat meat prices are continuously rising. This is the highest among all the primary food items .In Delhi, goat meat prices increased from Rs 300 per kg to Rs 400-450 per kg in the past one year.
“The main reason for the price increase is the rising export of goat meat to West Asia,” .Sixty countries import goat meat from India. Big importers are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Angola and Egypt. Nearly 80 per cent of the goat meat and mutton export is to West Asia. Although India’s current export of goat and sheep meat is 6.4 per cent of the production, export is where demand is set to explode. Export of goat and sheep meat has, in fact, increased more than eight times in the past two years, while production has increased marginally . “People in West Asia are shifting from Australian sheep to Indian goats because the meat of our goats is tastier and low on fat,” as per Food Nutrition Department of India.
This has turned goat into a much sought after economic instrument. Both exporters and local traders buy from the same market. Since exporters have a better purchasing power they have captured 60 per cent of the goat market. Exporters are buying goats at an even higher price going up to Rs 300 per kg live weight.The average sale age of goats is coming down. As the demand for the tender meat is rising.Due to this goat farming is becoming the most viable business nowadays.
Regards,
DR.Shaikh
Giyasilal Saini is a marginal farmer who has market savvy. It comes from experience. Living in a semi-arid area like Alwar in Rajasthan, he always knew he could not depend on farming alone. So he would keep some goats, like others in village Jaitpura. Then three years ago the pond that irrigated his tiny field dried up. “Rains have not been enough. I spent a fortune on irrigating my field but could not grow enough for my family,” said the 36-year-old. He devoted his energy to goat rearing.
Within three years Saini’s herd grew from 20 to 80-strong, the largest in his village. “They serve as a 24-hour cash bank,” he said, closely inspecting the mouths of goats. He displayed two large teeth in the lower front jaw of one of the goats. “It means the chhendi (goat) is over 12 months old and the thickness of its backbone suggests it has gained 40 kg of weight,” said Saini. “I can now sell it for at least Rs 15000.”
Goat rearing is not capital intensive, hence easy to start. The partially denuded Aravali hills provide free grazing ground; that saves close to 70 per cent of the rearing cost. Being prolific eaters with super efficient digestive system, goats can eat anything anytime.
Market demands
What is also pushing goat numbers is the rising demand for goat meat in India, both for domestic and international market. Consumption demand is more pronounced in urban areas that are growing at the rate of 2.5 per cent per year. While rural population has grown at 1.7 per cent a year between 1981 and 2001, urban population has grown at 3 per cent.
India is the largest goat meat producer after China. The rate of goat meat production (18.6 per cent) in 1997-2007 was double the production rate (9.3 per cent) in the previous decade. Despite a steady increase in supply, goat meat prices are continuously rising. This is the highest among all the primary food items .In Delhi, goat meat prices increased from Rs 300 per kg to Rs 400-450 per kg in the past one year.
“The main reason for the price increase is the rising export of goat meat to West Asia,” .Sixty countries import goat meat from India. Big importers are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Angola and Egypt. Nearly 80 per cent of the goat meat and mutton export is to West Asia. Although India’s current export of goat and sheep meat is 6.4 per cent of the production, export is where demand is set to explode. Export of goat and sheep meat has, in fact, increased more than eight times in the past two years, while production has increased marginally . “People in West Asia are shifting from Australian sheep to Indian goats because the meat of our goats is tastier and low on fat,” as per Food Nutrition Department of India.
This has turned goat into a much sought after economic instrument. Both exporters and local traders buy from the same market. Since exporters have a better purchasing power they have captured 60 per cent of the goat market. Exporters are buying goats at an even higher price going up to Rs 300 per kg live weight.The average sale age of goats is coming down. As the demand for the tender meat is rising.Due to this goat farming is becoming the most viable business nowadays.
Regards,
DR.Shaikh