PATACHARKUCHI, Feb 15 - At a time when the entire Bajali subdivision of Barpeta district and surrounding areas are drawing attention for dairy farming contributing a lot towards strengthening rural economy, Bikramjit Kalita one enthusiastic youth of the area ushered a new way of self-employment by setting up a goat farm with varieties of breeds.
The boy just completed his formal education after matriculation, an inhabitant of Ratanpur Village, had set up his goat farm at Ghatbar Saderi village, a few metres from National Highway 127 and around 8 km from Pathsala town.
At present, there are 65 goats in his farm, including the varieties of Jamnapari, Beetal, Ram, Totabari, Sirohi, Ajmiri and some local breeds. Recently, Dr Dilip Kumar Dev Choudhury, programme assistant of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Barpeta, and some veterinary doctors visited the farm and expressed satisfaction over the initiative.
According to the visiting team, the goats were kept in neat and clean condition. Bikranjit informed that goat farming was his hobby from a very young age and started his farming with local goats. When he came to know about the hybrids, with the help of internet he ordered and purchased variety of the breeds from various places of India. The price of an adult breed, including carrier cost, is around Rs 30,000 to Rs 38,000.
He sells the kids at the age of one and two months at a price of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per kid in the locality. According to him, he spends about Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per month in feeding and giving medicine to the goats. The breeds generally give four kids in a year.
Initially, he got help from one veterinary surgeon of the locality named Dr Dhruba Choudhury, he said, claiming that now he know all the basic treatment procedures for his farm. He has been running this farm from 2008 and he is currently planning to expand the farm.
