The breed’s advantages include low capital investment, prolific breeding, early sexual maturity, high-quality skin, low kidding intervals, adaptability to various conditions and a steady income stream
Goats have played a crucial role in supporting humankind for over 7,000 years, providing various resources such as milk, meat, cashmere/pashmina, mohair and skin.
In India, most farming households are small or marginal and their livelihoods depend on agriculture and animal husbandry. However, climate change and its adverse effects on agriculture have led to poor crop yields, forcing farmers to seek alternative livelihoods.
Heifer India, the organisation I work for, has recognised the potential of goat farming. We, in collaboration with self-help groups (SHG), have been implementing initiatives to promote Black Bengal goat farming in Bihar and Odisha, helping farmers on their path to economic prosperity.
With approximately 85 per cent of farming households in India being small or marginal, goat farming has become a crucial source of income and food security.
According to studies, goats contribute more than 52 per cent of a household’s total income, ensuring the nutritional well-being of families engaged in goat keeping.
Goats are adaptable to various climates, require low-cost maintenance and offer a readily available market for their products. India has 28 registered goat breeds, each with its unique potential for meat (chevon), milk and fiber production.
Black Bengal goats, along with other breeds such as Osmanabadi, Barbari and Kannaiadu, are known for their excellent chevon quality.
Among the 20 well-defined goat breeds in India, Black Bengal goats stand out as a dwarf breed, highly prolific and renowned for their superior-quality meat and skin.
Widely distributed throughout West Bengal and neighbouring states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, and parts of Tripura, Black Bengal goats are equally prevalent in Bangladesh.
The breed’s advantages include low capital investment, prolific breeding, early sexual maturity, high-quality skin, low kidding intervals, adaptability to various conditions, no religious taboos against consumption and a steady income stream. Incidences of multiple kidding (twins and triplets) is also higher in Black Bengal than in other breeds.
Goat meat, known as chevon, is highly regarded in India, preferred over other meats due to its leanness with lower fat percentage and the absence of religious taboos against its consumption.
Goat meat has several health benefits and more nutritional value than other red meat. Low in calories, total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than traditional meats, goat meat has higher levels of iron when compared to a similar serving size of beef, pork, lamb and chicken. Comparatively, goat meat also contains higher potassium content with lower sodium levels.
Goat milk has also gained importance in human health due to its similarity to human milk and its easy digestibility, thanks to smaller fat globules that result in a softer curd.
We at Heifer India are actively involved in providing training to SHGs on scientific methods of goat rearing, disease identification, basic first aid, housing management, feeding, breeding, deworming, and vaccination. Additionally, we focus on promoting business development and nurturing goat entrepreneurs within the community.
After identifying potential community members, we formalise them into 10-15-member SHGs. Through sensitisation on goat rearing enterprises, we highlight how a low-cost investment in rearing two to four female goats can lead to an annual income of Rs 30,000-40,000.
In Bihar and Odisha, our efforts have been highly successful. More than 80,000 small, marginal and landless farmers have received advanced animal management training, financial inclusion support, digital literacy training and gender sensitisation. We also assist SHG members in accessing formal loans from banks and provides initial capital support for their projects.
Black Bengal goat farming has emerged as a transformative opportunity for small and marginal farmers in Bihar and Odisha. As goat farming continues to play a pivotal role in rural development, initiatives like these pave the way for sustainable growth and economic prosperity within these communities.
Abdus Sabur Sheikh is Senior Program Manager, Livestock Technology & One Health at Heifer International India
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth
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