07/04/2014
ISLAMABAD, Jul 26 (APP): Pakistan Agricultural Research Council is planning to introduce Saanen goats in the country to improve milk production as milk is second most important product of goat particularly in rural and remote areas because of its nutritional value. Goats with population of 58.3 millions are primarily kept for mutton by millions of poor and landless farmers and play a significant role in the country’s economy by producing approximately 366 thousand tons of mutton.
Goats are generally regarded as poor man’s cow and these also produce about 719 thousand tons of milk annually. Other products of economic significance include skins, hair and manure.
There are 37 breeds of goats found in different regions of the country.
Majority of these breeds are mutton type while some are dual purpose and may act as promising milch type. These include Beetal, Dera Din Panah (DDP), Naachi, Kamori, Kaghani and Damani.
Goats contribute to the health and nutrition of several million people in Pakistan, especially those on the poverty line.
Talking to APP Principal investigator officer PARC Dr. M Rafiq said the famous dairy breeds of goat in the world include Alpine, LaManchas, Anglo Nubian, Oberhaslis, Saanen and Toggenburg. Among these, Saanen has proved its worth as a dairy goat breed in many countries of the world, he added.
For its outstanding performance and wide range of adaptability, Saanen dairy goat has been exported to all over the world and has become the world’s most popular dairy goat, he maintained.
Dr Rafiq said Saanens have usually uniform white colour, is of
large size, vitality, herd compatibility and have “eager to please” temperament. The largest part of their popularity, however, is due to their milking ability, he went on to add.
He further said that Saanens surpass all of the other breeds as it adapts to every climate ranging from -12oC to 35oC, adding its milk is similar to cow’s milk but free from any allergic element.
Elaborating further he said its milk is easily digestible compared with cow’s milk and its average milk production ranges from 4-6 kg per day during a lactation period of 300 days with exceptions having a milk yield of more than 6 kg/day.
Dr Rafiq mentioned that Saanen goats have been in China since early 20th Century and after continuous process of up-gradation and selective breeding they are now similar to purebred Saanen in both body conformation and milk production.
PARC therefore opted for the import of Saanen from China not only for economic reasons but also for their acclimatization in the Asian region, he stated.
