Knowledge in Goats in Thailand

The goat population in Thailand is relatively small. However the past 10 years, has seen a marked increase due to an increased demand for goat meat and milk. In the past, the numbers of research publications concerning goats in Thailand were small, especially dairy goats compared with those in other economical livestock such as swine, cattle and poultry. However, the numbers have gradually increased owning to the promotion of goat production by the government. Major research areas have been focused on breeding and genetic improvement, feed and feeding, management, health, diseases and socio-economics. This paper presents background and facilities on goat research in Thailand such as knowledge in terms of breeds and genetic improvement (genetic resources, breed evaluation and breeding and molecular genetics), nutrition, management, diseases and parasites, goat’s milk and meat processing. Conclusions and recommendations are also provided.