If successful, meat production of the goat popular in the West is expected to take off in the country.

The first cloned Boer Goat in China is expected to be born around next October, according to the Tianjin veterinary research institute.

"Boer Goats, originally from South Africa, grow very fast," said Ding Boliang, director of the research institute. The meat yield rate of the goat is about 50 percent, much higher than that of ordinary sheep, which is only 20 to 30 percent. An adult Boer Goat weighs about 100 kilograms (220 lb) and can provide over 40 kilograms (88 lb) of meat.

The meat of this kind of goat is fresh and full of nutrients, very popular in the US market, according to Ding.

The research center now has over 300 purebred Boer Goats which are fostered as breeders. A storage area for genetic materials of Boer Goats, such as embryos, is being built.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2002)