MULTAN: Ultimate goat rearing can increase income by 20 to 50 percent compared to traditional breeding methods and help alleviate poverty in southern Punjab. South Punjab is a hub for animal husbandry, but most shepherds are not aware of modern animal husbandry practices, Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry Dr Jamshaid Akhtari told APP on Sunday.
Makhi Cheni, Nugri, Nagri and Faisalabadi goats are very popular in southern Punjab, informed Dr. Jamshed, adding that farmers should follow modern practices to get more profit from these breeds. Goats can play an important role in overcoming poverty in rural areas. Goats are also called “Poor Man’s Cattle” because poor people can easily raise them. Women can also raise goats because they are not strong animals. There is a great demand for its meat. However, the poor can meet their milk needs from goats.
According to the recommendations of the Pakistan Protein Committee, everyone in our country should get 48 grams of animal protein, but our per capita consumption is only 17 grams, which is very low. Goats give birth twice a year and usually have twins or triplets, helping poor families meet their kitchen requirements.
Multan division has more than 2.5 million goats, which are a good source of income for farmers in rural south Punjab. When asked about modern agricultural methods, Dr. Jemscheid observed that livestock registrations, animal husbandry and small animal production costs are neglected. Manuk observed that farmers are good at accounting because they know the difference between costs and final profits. Goat farmers do not have enough knowledge about the judicious use of fodder, feeding, housing, ventilation, overcrowding in cattle pens, Dr. Jemscheid said that the herdsmen must be properly informed about scientific husbandry practices because it is important from the point of view of profit. .
He advises farmers to build galvanized wire around their cattle instead of bamboo because goats eat bamboo, which is not good for their health. In a closed cow shed, each goat should have at least 6 to 10 square meters of space, but in an open cow shed, it should be twice as much. For food, he recommends keeping animals in the open. Dr. Jemscheid proposed to the government to allocate land to cattle owners for cattle breeding. There is a huge space in the country for this. Investors should also focus on goat farming because they can export their meat. Since the demand for meat is high, it can generate good returns for investors. Similarly, the leaves of the “kekar” tree also contain nutrients. If there is a shortage of fodder, the back silo must be full of hay and ‘wanda’ nutrients, he said. He said the floor of the animal house should be dry. There should be ample air flow and light. Shelter should be very comfortable to control temperature and humidity. Also, don’t let the rain water run into the goat’s house. There should not be dirt around the animal housing because it will cause the spread of disease. Cattle farmers should refer to qualified veterinarians instead of bulls. He concluded that Kwack completely ignored diagnostic tests and made mistakes in the treatment of animals
