Pakistan has a large goat population and is a major exporter of goat meat. The study was conducted on four main goat breeds in Pakistan - Beetal, Teddy, Angora, and Nachi. Goat production systems in Pakistan include nomadic, transhumant, and sedentary systems. Many goat breeds in Pakistan are at risk of being lost due to lack of conservation efforts and decreasing availability of grazing land. Efforts are needed to establish breeding policies and conservation programs to preserve Pakistani goat genetic resources.

3. Developing countries are rich in goat genetic
resources. China, India, and Pakistan are top
goat meat producing countries in the world.
The goat population in Pakistan is 53.8 million,
ranking third in the world . Good quality meat
is exported in most of the Middle East and
other Asian countries from Pakistan thus
contributing an important role in the country’s
economy.

4. Location and climate: The study was
conducted at the Angora Goat Farm, Rakh
Khairewala, District Layyah (Pakistan’s largest
small ruminant farm with 14,472 acres of land)
under the Directorate of Small Ruminants. The
climate is warm temperate with mean
maximum and minimum temperatures, daily
relative humidity, and mean annual rainfall of
45 °C and 12 °C, 80% (max) and 54% (min), and

5. Four goat breeds Beetal, Teddy, Angora,
Nachi were selected. The locality of all
breeds was Punjab districts except for Teddy,
which is also found in Azad Jammu and
Kashmir (AJK). Beetal and Teddy are used
for meat and milk purposes, Angora is raised
mainly for hair, while Nachi serves for meat,
milk and hair production. All selected breeds
were kept under uniform management
conditions.

6. The production systems are nomadic,
transhumant and sedentary.
This system is found mostly in parts of Sindh
and Baluchistan in Southern Pakistan. These
flocks, with more than 100 animals, move
constantly throughout the year in search of
grazing land. Most of the lambs and kids are
born between January and April, when flocks
are at lower elevations. Females are retained for
flock replacement or enlargement, but males
are sold before they are one year old.

8. In this system flock owners have a fixed
base but move with their families to another
grazing area for a major part of the year: This
system is prevalent in tribal areas in parts of the
North West Frontier Province, in parts of Sindh
and Baluchistan and throughout the Northern
Areas. Average flock size is about 100 animals.
Grazing is mainly on rangeland or crop
residues, and sometimes pastures must be
rented. The flock owners have easy access to the
market and sell the male progeny, often at low
weight.

9. These flocks remain in the same locality
throughout the year and are taken out to graze during
the day and brought back in the evening: Flocks are
small, usually between 20 and 40 animals, and graze
opportunistically on crop stubble, roadsides, canal
banks, waterlogged areas, rangeland and weeds.
Women frequently keep a few animals, mostly near
the house and feed them on household scraps, weeds
and nearby pastures.

10. Sheep and goat breeds are at higher risk of losing
their identity due to indiscriminate breeding and
lack of any breeding policy or directive from the
government. In fact, no significant development
project or programme for improvement or
selective breeding of local breeds has ever been
seriously undertaken. Furthermore, with
population expansion, availability of grazing places
and rangelands is decreasing, thus reducing
nutrient availability to these animals.

11. Since formal phenotypic and genetic
characterization of the small ruminant breeds has
generally not been carried out, the value of a given
breed is judged only based on their potential for
production of mutton, thus breeds with lower adult
weight are most likely to disappear.

12. 1.Clearly defined breeding policies should be
established and implemented for all major breeds of
goats.
2.Livestock departments in the provinces should assist
in the organization of goat farmers’ groups and breed
associations in various regions.
3.Pakistan is very rich in goat genetic resources.
However, if more emphasis is place only on certain
breeds, the others may get neglected and lost over
the time.Immediate efforts should be made to
conserve breeds with lesser populations.

13. For these conservation efforts, either government
farms can be utilized or the government may provide
incentives to private farmers for rearing these
animals.
4.Goat improvement programes for all major
breeds like Beetal, Dera Din Panah, Nachi,
Kamori, Barberi Khurasani and Dhamani
should be started immediately for exploiting
full potential of these breeds.
5.Forage and range development programmes
should be instituted and implemented involving
local stake-holders, particularly goat herders.

14. Goats are among the most versatile of all domestic
animals, used for milk, meat, and fiber, and for
packing and land management. Goat milk is
inexpensive to produce, easy to digest, and
nutritionally rich. Demand for goat milk has
encouraged the development of many specialized
dairy breeds, especially in Europe and India.
Goat meat is consumed worldwide. Despite the
importance of meat, however, few specialized
meat breeds have been developed.