Tanahun, Oct 26: The National Goat Research Programme based at Bandipur has given priority to improving the goat breeds to help enhance the income of leading farmers. The Programme has so far exported the Boer breed of goats to 54 districts.
As part of the goat breed improvement programme, pure breed of Boer kids are produced for breeding hybrid breed goats by crossbreeding between the Boer breed and the local Khari breed goats.
Programme coordinator Raju Kandel said they have been exporting Boer breed goats to Tanahun, Kaski, Gorkha, Lamjung, Chitwan and other districts.
According to him, 50 female goats and seven male goats of the Boer breed were brought from Australia ten years back for the goat breed improvement programme. The Programme has been providing the kids of the Boer, Khari and Sanan breed goats to the leading farmers at subsidized rate.
The Programme currently has around 500 goats of the Boer, Saanen, Khari, Sinhal, Barbari, Jamunapari, among other breeds for the breeding purpose. The Boer goat bulls are sold to the farmers in different districts as per their demand, it is said.
Similarly, the Sanan breed goats are exported to 32 districts for milk and cheese production purposes and to 22 more districts for commercial goat rearing. Senior Technical Officer Buddhiram Acharaya said there is high demand for Saanen breed goats for milk and cheese production purposes. He added that goat milk is beneficial to cancer patients as well as the goat milk is free of lactogen and has high antibodies.
Cheese made from goat milk costs Rs 3,000 per kg in the market whereas the Programme has been selling it at Rs. 1,000 per kg. RSS
