Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
12th International Conference On Goats, Antalya, Türkiye, 25 - 30 Eylül 2016, ss.4
Goats play an important socio-economic role in many marginal rural areas of the world. Indigenous goat breeds take an important socio-economic roles in the livelihood strategies of the poor farmers, especially those in rural and hard-toreach areas. Those roles include their use as savings, insurance, security, accumulation and diversification of assets, social and cultural functions. They are also valued for their productive performance, adaptation and disease resistance. Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world as far as the number of goats and production from goats is concerned. Hair, Kilis and angora goats are dominant goat breeds of the country. Hair goats are raised throughout the country but are concentrated especially in the mountainous part of the country, while Angora goats are raised mainly in central Anatolia. Kilis goat known with higher mil yield and litter size is kept especially in the south-east region. Apart from these three breeds, Honamlı goat located in the Bolkar Mountains in the Mediterranean region, Antalya, Isparta and Konya regions. Norduz goats located Gürpınar in Van province and Norduz locality. A limited number of Malta, Saanen and crossbred of different dairy goats are also in especially Aegean and Marmara regions. The total number of goats in Turkey is about 10.4 million heads. This number includes 10.2 million Hair or black goats and 0.2 million Angora goat according to Turkish Statistical Institute. . It is estimated that there are approximately 0.5 million head of Kilis goat in the country that is included in Hair goat number in official statistic data. There are many reasons for the presence of such a large number of goats in Turkey. Geographical and ecological conditions, as well as the socio-economic situation of goat farmers, are suitable for goat rising. Goats are kept for milk, meat, skin and hair for several centuries in Anatolia. Goat milk and meat are the main sources of animal protein for the inhabitants of the Turkish mountainous areas and surroundings. Goats provide 5.2% of the total red meat, 2.5% of the total milk, 13.8% of the total skin and naturally 100% of the mohair and hair production of the country. Although the number and economic importance of goat breeding enterprises has decreased over the years, goat breeding still plays and important socio-economic role for the people living in and around forest areas. Also, intensive farming and goat milk investments have been well-developed in last decades in Turkey. The socio-economic structure of the local population of these territories is appropriate for goat husbandry. Some poor parts of the population rely only on goat production for the survival. Marketing margins across producers, middlemen, processors, and consumers was also unorganized and due to prejudice of Turkish consumers and thus goat meat consume only specific rural areas.
Keywords: Anatolia,goat,Angora,rural production