Cashmere goat
Cashmere is the fine soft downy winter undercoat found on many goats. This undercoat that grows as the day length shortens and is associated with an outer coat of coarse hair, which is present all the year and is called Guard Hair. Most common goat breeds, including dairy goats, grow this two coated fleece. A goat which grows this fine undercoat in commercial quality and quantity is called a cashmere goat.
The down is produced by secondary follicles, the hair by the primary follicles. [1]
In 1994 China had a estimated goat population of 123 million goats and is the largest producer of cashmere down. Local breeds are dominant. In the past decades breading programs have been started to develop productive breeds.[2].
Australian Cashmere Goat
The foundation stock for the Australian Cashmere Goat was selected from the local bush goat population in the lat 70s.
Inner Mongolia White Cashmere Goat
The Inner Mongolia white cashmere goat is a local breed with a long history, it adapts well to the desert and semi desert pastures. The average down yield is approximately 240 grams with an average down diameter between 14.3 to 15.8 micron. The cashmere length is between 4.1 and 4.7 cm. In 1994 the total Inner Mongolian goat population was approximately 2.3 million[2].
Liaoning Cashmere Goat
Breading animals were selection in the 1960 from six counties in the eastern mountain area of Liaoning province, from then the herd has been developed and used to improve the cashmere herd throughout China. The breed was formally name the Liaoning cashmere goat by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in 1984.[2]. By 1994 selected Liaoning Cashmere does where producing 345 grams of down at 15 microns[2].
Licheng Daqing Goats
The Licheng Daqing goat is a dual purpose breed from the shanxi province of China. The down is brown and the average doe down yield is 115 grams at 14.06 micron[2].
Tibetan Plateau Goats
If one includes the Tibetan Plateue Goats and valley goats in the census there was more than 7 million Tibetan goats in China of which 5 million are in Tibet, 1 million in Sichuan, half a million in Quanghai and about 100 thousand in Gansu. There are also a small number of Tibetan goats in India, Pakistan and Napal. The Tibetan plateau goats are kept for down production, in 1994 a doe's average down production was 197 grams while the average buck's down production is 261 grams[2].
Zhongwei Goats
The Zhongwei goat originated in the semi desert and desert area around Zhongwei in Ninxia and Gansu provinces and is famous for it's kid fur and cashmere production. The average fibre production for does is 216 grams at 15 micron[2].
Luliang Black Goat
Is dual purpose goat found in the Lüliang area, it produces a small quantity of dark down.