FARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi is now taking interest for recognition of Ghumusari goat after the success for Binjharpuri cattle receiving recognition at national level by the NBAGR.
Ghumusari goat is reared by all sections of people in all parts of Kandhamal and Boudh districts and north-western part of Ganjam district, spread over an area of around 13,000 sqkm. It has been estimated that around 4, 00,000 heads of these goats are present in the native tract.
The goat is a medium-size, docile, compact meat type animal. Predominantly black in coat colour, deep brown, light grey, light brown, blackish brown coat colour and white stripes on head are also seen.
The female Ghumusari goat attains sexual maturity at around 8 to 9 months and drops its first kid at around 14 months of age. The average kidding interval in these goats is 8 to 9 months with gestation period of 150 days. The reproductive performance of these goats is the uniqueness of this goat population with more than 65 per cent multiple births - 58 per cent twinning and 7 per cent triplets.
These goats attain around 15-17 kg weight at 12 months of age, however adult goats weigh 26-30 kg with a height of 2 feet on grazing and without any supplementation of feed. Ghumusari goats have been performing with high longevity and fertility under very low input system with resistance to many diseases and worm infestations. There are around 65 lakh goats constituting 32 per cent of total livestock in Odisha (2012 census).
The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the period 2003-2012 was 1.3 per cent for goats. It is estimated that 12 per cent of the households rear goats in the State and around 80 per cent of goats are in the hands of resource poor people.