Goatery project to hike meat, milk production

500 tonnes of meat, 17,000 litres of milk in 5 years

In order to enhance milk and meat production in the district, the Animal Husbandry department has launched a new project in commercial goatery by setting up industrial farms and satellite units.

While 20 families in the district will receive 380 female goats and 20 males to start commercial farms, 53 goat satellite units will also come up in connection with the project. Each satellite unit will have five females and one buck. The project aims at producing an extra 500 tonnes of meat and 17,000 litres of milk within five years.

Malabari goats

Malabari goats that can give birth to two to three kids per kidding will be distributed in the farms and satellite units. A total of 645 females and 73 bucks will be reared in the district as part of the project.

The outlay of the project is ₹82.25 lakh. The beneficiaries will be provided a three-day training along with farm visit.

Beneficiaries

The department had received thousands of applications for the project and the beneficiaries have been selected from 20 panchayats in the district, Kollam Corporation and the two municipalities of Paravur and Karunagapally. At present, the district has around 2 lakh goats and the chevon production is quite insufficient to meet the daily requirement. The beneficiaries will receive a subsidy of ₹1 lakh for starting commercial farms and ₹25,000 for satellite units.

Since the main objective is chevon production, the department has opted for Malabari breed which is known for the quality of its meat. The gestation period of the breed is 165 days and the farms are expected to supply meat within one year. The department will also ensure the availability of young ones that will be distributed to the beneficiaries during the phase two of the project.