The Directorate of Extension Education, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana conducted one day workshop on "Prospects of Goat Farming in Punjab" which was attended by 45 participants including scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Veterinary Officers from Animal Husbandry Department, progressive goat farmers, faculty and students from the University. Dr. Inderjeet Singh, Vice Chancellor graced the workshop as Chief Guest. Mr. Ad Merks, Senior Expert from PUM Netherlands was the Special Guest of the event. Dr. Parkash Singh Brar, Director of Extension Education welcomed the participants.
Dr. Inderjeet Singh, highlighted that goats contribute immensely to the economy of resource poor farmers and have the potential to generate employment avenues in the rural areas. Addressing the gathering, he stated that goat production can be optimized by better reproductive and management strategies.
A keynote session on goat production was taken by Mr. Ad Merks, in
which he highlighted the goat production and management practices followed in the Netherlands. He emphasized that the Beetal goat of Punjab can be developed as a good dairy goat by following optimal selection strategies. He highlighted the opportunities for the goat farmers which can be tapped for maximizing profits from the goat sector.
Invited lectures on goat diseases and goat management were delivered by Dr. Vishal Mahajan and Dr. Mandeep Singla respectively. Thereafter, Farmer-Scientist interaction was conducted in which progressive goat farmers of the state participated. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Arunbeer Singh and Dr. Amandeep Singh under the guidance of Dr. Parkash Singh Brar.
