On the southern slopes of the Daba Mountains in Nanjiang county, Sichuan province, the Nanjiang yellow goat has become a key driver of local economic growth, fostering new opportunities in agriculture, processing, and tourism. This indigenous meat goat breed, developed from the 1950s through crossbreeding local goats with domestic varieties, was officially named in 1998 and quickly gained recognition across Asia for its rapid growth, large size, high fertility, and quality meat.
Despite these advantages, farmers traditionally raised the goats in small numbers, achieving little economic benefit. That changed in 2006 when Wang Qide, a native of Nanjiang, left his catering business in Fujian province to form a breeding cooperative aimed at organizing local villagers to expand Nanjiang yellow goat farming. Wang’s initiative was sparked by observing how the goats commanded high prices in distant markets while their breeders remained impoverished.
Upon returning, Wang found that uncontrolled crossbreeding over previous decades had severely reduced the population of purebred Nanjiang yellow goats. Working with the Nanjiang Yellow Goat Research Institute, he helped establish a breeding farm and scientific innovation center designed to conserve core breeding stock and genetic samples. Today, over 5,000 core breeding goats and 3,000 genetic samples are protected under this dual conservation system.
Advancements continued with the adoption of genomic selection technology, which has accelerated growth rates, increased meat yields, improved lambing rates, and shortened production cycles for the breed’s second generation. To further scale production, Nanjiang county has built five large-scale breeding farms equipped with automation systems that manage feeding, environmental monitoring, and waste treatment. The largest, the Gaotai primary breeding farm, maintains 2,000 female breeding goats and produces 6,000 breeding goats annually. Three additional farms are under construction with a goal to establish 11 farms by 2027, ultimately reaching an annual output of 30,000 to 40,000 breeding goats by 2028.
Industrial processing has also boosted the economic value of the goats considerably. Wang founded Sichuan Dejian Nanjiang Yellow Goat Food Co, which now offers over 30 products, including chilled meat, snacks, and ready-to-eat dishes. This value-added approach has more than doubled the worth of each animal, increasing revenue from roughly 1,600 yuan (about $237) to over 3,000 yuan. The company’s flagship goat meat sauce alone brings in more than 50 million yuan annually. A recent upgrade to the deep-processing line aims to further increase production.
To expand market reach, the company launched livestream sales in June, achieving daily sales of 7,000 to 8,000 yuan. With 150 million yuan in revenue last year, the company targets 350 million yuan next year and aims to surpass 1 billion yuan within five years.
Beyond commercial pursuits, Wang pioneered a poverty alleviation initiative known as the “goat-for-goat” program. Under this model, low-income households receive female breeding goats free of charge and return an equivalent number after two years, allowing them to retain offspring and build sustainable livelihoods. The program has benefited 528 households with average annual income increases of 30,000 yuan and was recognized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 2019 as a leading poverty reduction practice.
The growth of the Nanjiang yellow goat sector has elevated the breed to a symbol of regional pride and economic vitality. Last year’s Nanjiang Yellow Goat Gourmet Festival, for instance, boosted sales of goat products by 80 percent year-over-year and increased revenue in related hospitality sectors by 65 percent, illustrating the breed’s broad impact on local development.