Nagpur: The state’s animal husbandry and dairy development minister Sunil Kedar is bullish on Saanen — an alpine breed of goat.
The ministry has drawn plans which, it claims, will be a game-changer in the dairy industry. Livestock of goats would be imported from European countries and Canada where the breed is found. It will be multiplied here, ensuring that the pure bloodline is maintained.
Kedar said a Saanen doe produces as much as 12 litres of milk, which is more than many of the local breeds of cows. At the same time, it is cheaper to maintain a goat as against a cow or buffalo. Farmers can earn more at less cost, he said.
The minister was talking to TOI on the sidelines of a function to create awareness on bird flu, organized by Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Science University (Mafsu). As chicken was served to allay fears of bird flu, even goat cheese was there. The idea was to promote alternate milk products.
There is some stock of Saanen goats at Pune. However, Kedar said, the bloodline has mixed and he would be bringing the pure Saanen breed under his project.
“If not 12 litres and even if the goat produces eight litres of milk in Indian conditions, it would still remain profitable business proposition, said the minister.
By March, the first lot of around 100 goats will arrive in India and will be kept at Mafsu’s campus in Nagpur and Pune. The idea is not to simply distribute animals but to breed the pure line of goats and then make it available to farmers.
Not only the milk, but there also is a market for by-products, especially cheese, which can fetch a good price.
Kedar said, “Once the project succeeds, it will not only change the face of the rural economy by stopping migration to cities, but also lead to a revolution in the dairy industry. According to a presentation, the goat milk would fetch a rate Rs175 per litre.
Once the goat arrives, it may take at least three years to be finally made available to farmers on a larger scale. It is expected that goats may be finally available to farmers before the current government’s tenure ends.
Studies will continue for at least two years to ascertain the management practices for the goat rearing in local conditions. A year after that, it may be made available to the farmers in general, said a source, who is part of the development.
A technical expert said 12 litres is the peak production and it is around eight litres on an average abroad. However, even on a very conservative estimate the goats may still produce four litres of milk in a day. This can be a profitable as compared to cow. A cross-breed cow gives as much as 8 to 9 litres in a day for a lactation period of 300 days. To produce nine litre milk, a cow needs as much as 40kg fodder.
Even a Saanen goat has a 300-day lactation period and it needs around 10kg fodder, making even four litres profitable.