Why? Raising goats is an income-generating activity that has enormous potential to increase incomes and improve nutrition for resource-poor households especially in remote, tribal and ecologically vulnerable areas. It is an activity that requires a low investment and input costs. Goats are prolific breeders and have a good survival rate in drought-prone areas.
Building a vibrant goat sector in India is critical to reducing poverty, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and India’s own rural development goals of Doubling Farmers Income by 2022.
India has the second largest global goat population and has the potential to increase its role and profits in the lucrative global goat market. There is an increased demand for quality meat and milk products in India. There is an expanding export market for speciality and/or organic mutton and goat meat to the Gulf States and to select countries in Asia. There is an export market for live animals to neighbouring countries (e.g. Nepal) for consumption during religious festivals. Mostly, goats exported from Australia and New Zealand supply the expanding goat market.
What? IFAD is partnering with the Government of India, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Creative Agri Solutions – a local development partner – to bring together technical experts and policymakers to discuss how to significantly improve the goat sector in rural areas, specifically in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha states. The Honourable State Minister, Ms Krishna Raj, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, will deliver the keynote address at the conference.
The two-day event will be followed by a learning route which will include visits to locations that host the latest developments in the goat sector in the country – innovative health service delivery, commercial farming, modern processing, and links to markets.
Who? IFAD, Government of India, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Creative Agri Solutions.
When? 16-17 April 2018
Where? Hotel Jaypee Siddharth, Patel Nagar, New Delhi
Read more here.
