Annual Review Meeting of Research Project on Goat Improvement at CSKHPAU

Small and marginal farmers need much help: Dr.J.K.Jena, DDG,ICAR
Dharamshala, July 24, 2018: A two days annual review meeting of all India Coordinated Research Project on Goat Improvement was inaugurated at CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, at Palampur near here today.
While addressing delegates from all over the country, Chief Guest Dr.J K Jena, Deputy Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said, “small and marginal farmers need much help with commercial and controlled farming systems. Many new challengers were emerging with much impact on small farmers so they need a definite strategy to face and come out with viable solutions to increase their income.”
Dr Jena said that newly developed technology should be wide spread for the common good of farmers. He said, “ people were aware about the importance of goat milk in cities but were not able to procure it freely. The scientists need to think on such issues. since goat has wide adaptability so involvement of scientists from all farm universities can help the central institute for research on goat to achieve its research and extension goals.”
In his presidential remarks, Prof A.K.Sarial, Vice-Chancellor of the host university, told that the migratory goat rearing has a great scope in bridging the gap in demand and supply of meat to rural masses and also in enhancing the family income. He told that goat rearing was the backbone of small and landless farmers in India providing them source of livelihood and nutritional security.
“Low investment, wide adaptability, high fertility, low feed and management needs, high feed conversion efficiency, quick pay-off and low risk in goat farming makes it a best choice for the rural people,” said Sarial.
He added that traditional migratory pastoralism is common in Himalayas.The Vice-Chancellor informed that goat population contributed 23 percent of total livestock population of H.P. and approximately 65 percent goat population of the state was of Gaddi breed.
Dr. R. S. Gandhi, Assistant Director General (ICAR), said that goats have second largest population in the country after cattle. He said that goat was rightly called poor man’s cow .
Dr. M S Chauhan, Director, Central Institute for Research on Goats (CIRG) presented a detailed report on the activities of all 18 centres conducting research on goats. Efforts have been made to make goat farming a viable entrepreneur with eighteen technologies. Dr P.K.Rout, Project Coordinator, CIRG; Dr R.S.Jamwal, Director of Research; Dr Mandeep Sharma, Dean, Dr G C Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and Dr P.K.Dogra, Principal Investigator of Palampur Centre also expressed their views. Some publications were also released on the occasion.
The University statutory officers and scientists were also present during the inaugural ceremony.