The sexed semen production laboratory of the Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board, inaugurated recently by the Chief Minister at Rishikesh will prove to be a game-changer towards improving the lot of farmers and doubling their income.
Addressing media persons, the Animal Husbandry secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said that the sexed semen production laboratory at Rishikesh is the first such centre in the country under Rashtriya Gokul Mission of the Government of India. The start of production of sexed semen of bovines and buffaloes here may prove to be a game-changer for animal husbandry sector.
The technique has been refined to such an extent that the probability of female calves through insemination from semen straws from this centre has been drastically increased. A normal sexed semen dose imported is available for Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500.
However, after subsidies from the Central and State Governments, one dose from this centre will be available for about Rs 350. Sundaram said, “During its lifespan, a cow gives birth to about eight calves of which half are females in general.
However, with the use of sexed semen, all the calves can be females. This will provide a major boost to efforts aimed at achieving the target of doubling the income of farmers. It will also prove to be a major boost for the dairy sector.
Presently, there is a major demand supply gap in milk with bulk of the milk supplied to Uttarakhand from outside the Sate. This needs to be addressed first. Another positive side-effect of this will be visible on the issue of stray cattle in about four to five years. About 70 per cent of the cattle abandoned by rearers are males but with the use of sexed semen, the population of such cattle will also decrease gradually,” he said. The secretary also informed the other measures being undertaken by the Animal Husbandry department.