PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Pantnagar
A team comprising R S Barwal, C V Singh and B N Shahi, working in the department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences under G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, has helped the Udaipuri goat breed getting recognised as the 43rd goat species of Uttarakhand by ICAR-National Bureau of Genetic Resources, Karnal-deemed a milestone for Uttarakhand in the realm of animal husbandry.
The scientific team had conducted extensive baseline surveys in the goat breeding area and in June, a team of scientists, appointed by NBAGR, Karnal, had visited the Udaipuri goat breeding area, finally resulting in the breed’s registration. The goat’s native range is located in the western Himalayan region of Uttarakhand from Dugadda to Yamkeshwar in Pauri district aside from Udaipuri and Ajmeri belts of Rajasthan.
The genetics scientists said that these goats are adaptable to temperate climates. “Udaipuri goats are medium sized and brown in colour with well-built bodies. They are reared for meat with the adult body weight of male and females being 26-30 kg and 21-25 kg respectively,” a prominent scientist associated with the team said.
This goat breed is being raised by goat herders in Garhwal region for meat purposes, which supplements their farming income. Significantly, Udaipuri goats are an important source of income for the local goat herders, as they are sold in the market when needed and are also used in religious rituals. Its recognition as a breed has opened the way for goat herders to increase their production capacity through goat improvement and conservation, making them more profitable,” another scientist who worked for the project said.
With things officially cleared, the Animal Husbandry department, Uttarakhand, can now include it as a recognised goat breed in the State goat breeding policy for further improvement and conservation.
The vice- chancellor, GBPUAT, Manmohan Singh Chauhan, director of research S K Verma and dean A H Ahmed, among others, congratulated the scientists for their efforts and success in this important project of the State.
