ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
*Author for Correspondence: Email-rajeev.aggarwal@icar.gov.in
Online Published on 07 November, 2022.
Small ruminants (Goat and Sheep) form an integral part of Indian agriculture and widely distributed across all agro-ecological zones. There are 148.88 million goats and 74.26 million sheep in India and are reared mainly by small and marginal farmers. They contribute significantly to rural economy as they can sustain on paltry input resources and harsh environmental conditions. There are 44 and 34 registered breeds of sheep and goat respectively, beside large number of non-descript animals. Due to intermixing among breeds in the field, breed purity is being diluted. Hence there is need to develop suitable breeding policy for genetic improvement and conservation of goat and sheep by different states.
