The Frozen Semen Bank (FSB) in Cuttack has received the rank “A” among the semen banks in the country. The Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) evaluated the FSB and rated it second in the Eastern Region and awarded 87 out of 100 marks putting it at sixth in the country for the year 2015-16.
The Cuttack FSB was 25th in the country during 2012-13. Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Secretary Bishnupada Sethi is the guiding force behind the FSB’s growth.
While there are 56 semen banks in the country, 32 have received “A” grade after the evaluation by the CMU set up by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
The Cuttack FSB is also going to induct Binjharpuri bulls, and seven bull calves are already procured, said sources.
Artificial insemination by using frozen semen technology is being extensively used for genetic upgradation of indigenous cattle throughout the country. Dissemination of superior milk production traits is the key for productive enhancement of the dairy animal.
By crossing local female cattle with superior sire semen by artificial insemination, a crossbreeding programme has been undertaken on a large scale and at a comparatively low cost. The semen with living sperms collected from the donor bulls is processed, packaged in single dose plastic straws and stored in frozen state for future use.
A long-term preservation of semen by deep freezing allows considerable flexibility in arrangements for the supply of semen. Freezing also permits a more efficient use of the semen. The frozen semen after thawing is introduced into female reproductive tract at proper time with the help of instruments. In order to ensure better conception rate, fertility and genetic progress, quality of the frozen semen is important.
Therefore, a frozen semen bank is the nucleus of the artificial insemination programme for cows and buffalos.
The Cuttack FSB was established during 1978-79 under Indo-Danish collaboration. Under the National Project on Cattle and Buffalo Breeding Programme (2nd phase) and the National Programme on Bovine Breeding, steps were taken to upgrade the FSB with requisite infrastructure, modern equipment and facilities.
Currently, this FSB is maintaining four Pure Jersey, 31 Crossbreed, 15 Hariana and 11 Red Sindhi donor bulls.
The FSB has a capacity to produce 12 lakh doses per annum, and it produced 10.15 lakh doses of frozen semen during 2015-16, which was 13 per cent higher than the production made during 2014-15.
There was tremendous response from farmers, for which an all-time record number of 16.34 lakh cattle were inseminated in 2015-16.