Gone are the days when buyers could make use of local middlemen to buy the endemic Attappady black goats at throwaway prices from the remote adivasi hamlets here.
With the 584 tribal Kudumbasree units in Attappady deciding to establish a black goat village at Agali, no middleman can bargain with the tribespeople to buy the goats.
The economy of the Irula, Muduka, and Kurumba tribespeople in the region is dependent on rearing the goat variety, which has been developed by the tribes over the ages.
The Kudumbasree units in the 192 hamlets are promoted by the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
The goats, which are medium sized, lean, slender bodied, and black in colour, can only be bought from the goat village where a fair price will be fixed for each animal based on its weight, health, and milk yield.
The tribesmen can sell goats only through the “goat village facility”. Buyers can approach the Kudumbasree office at the AHADS complex at Agali to access the goat village. The minimum price fixed for a goat is ₹10,000.
Reared in the hill tracts of Sholayur, Puthur, and Kottathara, these goats are in demand across the State as they are resistant to diseases and can adapt to extreme climatic conditions.
Despite promises of the Kerala Livestock Department Board to set up a germ plasm centre for promotion of the goat species, its population remains below 6,000.
The NRLM initiative assumes significance in view of the government decision to hand over a major portion of a 38-acre farm for Attappady black goats at Kottathara to the recently started government college in Attappady.
Seema Bhaskar of the NRLM said the goat village would begin functioning in January and would take efforts to preserve the breed’s purity.
“The tribespeople of Attappady used to rear the goat in large numbers. But now, its numbers have fallen owing to the change in land use patterns and lack of pastures. The exploitation by buyers and middlemen is another hindrance,” she said.
“The goats are known for their tasty milk, nutritious meat, hardiness, disease-resistance, and survivability without laying much emphasis on individual productivity,” said tribal Thaykulasanghom leader Maruthi.
