KOCHI: Indians, especially the students, may be bearing the brunt of racial discrimination in Australia, and the touring Indian cricket team might be having a torrid time in the field; but the land of Kangaroos is all set to roll out the red carpet for Indian goats!The Kudumbashree Mission has struck a deal with an Australian agency to export 300 live Indian goats after the thriving ‘goats village’ initiative by the all-woman movement caught the fancy of the Australian authorities. According to Kudumbashree officials, the ‘Malabari’ goat, a breed of medium-sized goats seen widely in the northern districts, has triggered huge interest among Australian scientists who have specialised in animal genetics and breeding.“The Australian authorities have sought 300 Malabari goats, known to be well-adapted to the hot, humid conditions, to conduct studies on Indian breeds,” said Kudumbashree Mission executive director Sarada Muraleedharan.According to Somashekaran, the Kudumbashree assistant district mission coordinator, Kannur, the first batch of bovids will be shipped by March. “We got the order from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra which was approached by an Australian agency specialising in veterinary research. They were looking for a pure breed. Getting a pure breed is not an easy task nowadays,” he said. The deal is a shot in the arm for the ‘Goats Village’ project which has outlined an ambitious expansion plan.The pilot projects, set up in Kannur and Thrissur districts, have proved to be a success, prompting the government to expand it.“A group of five women entrepreneurs will be given four female goats and one male goat to set up a unit. At present, 98 units are operational. The plan is to set up 901 more units across the state. In all, 4,505 more families are to benefit from this project,” Sarada said.
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