The Hindu : Kerala News : Breeding policy to focus on hike in milk production

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 01, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala

Breeding policy to focus on hike in milk production

T. Ramavarman

Artificial insemination activities to be monitored

Scientific programmes for cross-breeding
Milk production can be hiked to 30 lakh tonnes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The draft breeding policy prepared by the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) aims at achieving rapid hike in milk production in the State through the adoption of scientific programmes for cross-breeding and for the preservation of the indigenous varieties of cattle.

According to the AHD officials it will be possible to increase the annual milk production of the State from the present 21 lakh tonnes to 30 lakh tonnes in three years through such programmes for augmenting the genetic merit of the cattle population.

They said it was for the first time the State was preparing a policy for cross-breeding in the recent years. The draft would be fine-tuned at a discussion convened by the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies C. Divakaran here on December 3.

Farmers’ choice

The draft makes it clear that only Jersey and Holstein Friesian will be continued to be used as exotic donor breeds. Farmers can select the semen from bulls based on the donor breed used for production of the bull. Small farmers with good resources and farmers in the commercial dairying activities could be provided with semen of high value breeds like Holstein Friesian bulls, under the supervision of the AHD and the Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB).

Pointing out that progeny testing was essential to ensure that the yield of the offspring is high, AHD officials said the draft policy suggested expansion of the progeny testing facilities to wider areas. The policy calls for the adoption of selective cross-breeding programmes to ensure that both the bull and the cow used for it are of superior quality.

The policy recommends introduction of first generation crossbred bulls produced by using donor exotic breeds on famous indigenous breeds like Sahiwal.

Crossbred bulls of high genetic merit available in other parts of the country could be used here after assessing the performance of their ‘daughters’ either in Kerala or in areas with similar agro-climatic conditions.

Parentage tests

All the male calves which are either produced or procured by the KLDB to be reared as future breeding bulls should be subjected to parentage tests using molecular technology, to confirm their pedigree. Embryo technology must be strengthened in the production of breeding bulls used for Artificial Insemination (AI) in the State.

Efforts will be made to reach AI facilities at the doorsteps of the farmers. There will have to be rational relocation of the AI centres shifting them from areas with limited cattle population to high density area areas.

The policy aims at promotion of breeding among goats and adoption of programmes for increasing the sagging buffalo population in the State. A State level regulatory authority should be formed to monitor the AI activities.

Culling policy

The policy suggests culling and removing two per cent of ‘Sunandini,’ the cross-bred variety of cow which constitutes 50 per cent of the State’s total population, for poor milk production, annually. Another one per cent of them must be culled for delayed first calving age, annually.

Zero sterility

Efforts must be launched for achieving zero sterility among the cattle population in the State.

The policy also suggests Research and Development initiatives for molecular characterisation of local genetic resources like the Vechur cows, coastal cattle of the State and Kuttanad buffalos, for germ plasma conservation.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala

News Update

Stories in this Section