Goat Farming A Speedy Way To Alleviate Poverty In Rural South Punjab: Livestock Experts

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Apr, 2024) Latest goat rearing practices can help enhance income remarkably from 20 to 50 percent higher than traditional rearing methods and also address issue of poverty amicably in south Punjab. South Punjab is a hub of livestock but most of the cattle-farmers are lacking awareness about modern rearing practices, said Deputy Director Livestock Dr Jamshaid Akhtari while talking to APP, here on Sunday.

Makhi Cheeni, Nugri, Nagri, and Faisalabadi beetal goats are very much popular in south Punjab, informed Dr Jamshaid, adding that cattle farmers should follow modern practices to generate more income from these breeds. Goats can play vital role in addressing issue of poverty in rural areas. Goats are also called as “Cows of the Poor”, because the poor can easily rear it. Even women can rear goats as it is not powerful animal. Its meat has high demand. However, the poor can fulfill milk needs from the goats, he added.

As per recommendation of Pakistan Protein Committee, in our country, everybody should obtain 48 grams of protein from animals but our per head consumption is only 17 grams which is very low. Goats give birth twice in a year and it is usually twins or triplets so it can help meet kitchen requirements in poor families.

In Multan division, farmers possess over 2.5 million goats which are handsome source to meet daily life expenses in rural areas of south Punjab. When questioned about modern farming techniques, Dr Jamshaid Observed that cattle farmers did not pay focus on record keeping, the expenditures on rearing of animals and earning from the small animals. He observed that poultry farmers were well aware of record keeping because they knew difference between expenditures and final earning.

Goat farmers lacked sufficient knowledge about the wise use of fodder, nutrition, housing, ventilation, overcrowding at cattle-pens, Dr Jamshaid informed and added that cattle farmers should have proper awareness about scientific rearing practices because it was very important from earning point of view.

He suggested farmers to install galvanized wire around cattle-pens instead of bamboos as goats used to eat bamboo which is not good for their health. In covered cattle-pen, every goat should have enough space At least 6 to 10 square feet, however, in open cattle-pen, it should be double. About feed, he suggested grazing of animals in open field. Dr Jamshaid proposed that government should allocate land to cattle holders for grazing. There is huge space available in the country for this purpose. Investors should also focus on goat rearing because they could export its meat. As its meat has high demand, it can offer handsome return to the investors. Similarly, leaves of "kekar" trees have also good nutritional value. When there is shortage of fodder, the rear should utilize silage, hey and “wanda” as it full of nutritional ingredients, stated Jamshaid. He said that floor of the animal housing should be dry. It should have huge flow of air and light. Shelter should be made in such a way that it should be very suitable for controlling temperature and moisture. Similarly, never let the rain water flow inside the goat housing. There should be not trash around the animal housing as it would cause spread of diseases. The cattle farmers should contact qualified veterinary doctors instead of quacks. Quacks utterly ignore diagnostic tests and make blunders in treating animals, he concluded