Goat and Sheep Genetic Resources of India

Abstract

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 signifi cantly 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 fi eld, breed
purity is being diluted. Hence there is need to develop suitable breeding policy for genetic improvement and
conservation of goat and sheep by diff erent states.