Great Mahatma Gandhi honored 'Goat as poor mans Cow' knowing its importance in upliftment of socioeconomic status of poor / marginal farmers. Sheep and Goat were the first food-producing animals to be domesticated around 8000 BC in South-East Asia. Sheep and Goat are reared for meat, milk, hide, skin, wool, hair and manure production. Sheep and Goat rearing is mainly concentrated in dry and scarcity areas.
Sheep and goat rearing is traditional occupation of economically weaker sections of society, particularly in rain shadow areas. These two species have been a major source of economic sustenance and financial cushioning, especially for an economically weaker section of society. Nearly 40% of our population belongs to economically poor and therefore programmes involving development of these small ruminants will directly benefit this population.
In order to achieve this, Government of Maharashtra vide its G.R. No. SDS 1078/143(1834)/5-ADF Dated 22 Feb 1978 established Sheep Development Corporation under the registration of companies act. The corporation was named as "Maharashtra Sheep Development Corporation". It was suggested that the Corporation will undertake activities in the fields of better breeding facilities for the genetic improvement of native sheep, better feeding, provision of health cover and diagnostic facilities and services, harvesting and suitable marketing facilities for sheep products and for the dissemination of technical knowledge about sheep rearing amongst the shepherds.
In order to undertake all above activities, sheep-breeding farms of the State government i.e. Pune, Mahud (Dist. Solapur), Ranjani (Dist. Sangli), Dahiwadi (Dist. Satara), Padegaon (Dist. Aurangabad), Ambejogai (Dist. Beed), Tuljapur (Dist. Osmanabad), Mukhed (Dist. Nanded), Bilakhed (Dist. Jalgaon) and the wool utilization center at Pune was transfered to the Maharashtra Sheep Development corporation with effect from 1 November 1979, along with staff vide G.R. No. SDS-2677/52683-9-ADF(342) Dated: 31 October 1979.
In order to enable the Maharashtra Mendhi Va Sheli Vikas Mahamandal Ltd. to promote the activity of goat rearing in a big way Government, vide resolution No. MSDC 1082/11698/386/ADF-5 Dated 7 August 1984, transferred Goat Breeding Farm, Pohara, Dist. Amravati to the Corporation along with posts on a farm with effect from 1 September 1984.
The name of mahamandal has got revised in 1984 from Maharashtra Sheep Development Corporation to Maharashtra Mendhi Va Sheli Vikas Mahamandal and then in 2003 as Punyashloka Ahilyadevi Maharashtra Mendhi Va Sheli Vikas Mahamandal ltd. in the honoured of great Punyashloka Ahilydevi.
