As many as 15 new breeds of livestock and poultry have been registered in country with six of them of goat, three of buffalo, two of cattle and of a donkey giving them national recognition and paving way for their better conservation and preservation of their genes.
The breeds which have been registered are two cattle breeds - Ladakhi (Jammu and Kashmir) and Konkan Kapila (Maharashtra and Goa); three buffalo breeds - Luit (Assam and Manipur), Bargur (Tamil Nadu), Chhattisgarhi (Chhattisgarh); one sheep breed - Panchali (Gujarat); six goat breeds - Kahmi (Gujarat), Rohilkhandi (UP), Assam Hill (Assam & Meghalaya), Bidri (Karnataka), Nandidurga (Karnataka), Bhakarwali (Jammu and Kashmir); one pig breed - Ghurrah (UP); one donkey breed - Halari (Gujarat) and one chicken breed - Uttara (Uttarakhand).
According to Ministry of Agriculture, the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has approved registration of record 15 new breeds of livestock and poultry this year alone taking the total to 40 during 2014-18. The NBAGR, the nodal agency of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), for registration of new breeds has recognized 55 breeds since 2010. Between 2010 and 2014, only 15 breeds were given national recognition.
Names of these breeds are derived either from the origin of their tract or due to their distinct features. Officials said that both the Halari donkey and Panchali sheep are named because their origins are traced in Halar region (Jamnagar district) and Panchal region (Surendranagar) of Saurashtra. Kahmi is local name of the two-coloured goat.
Interestingly, Halari breed is the second donkey breed to be recognised in the country after Spiti - the donkey breed which is indigenous to Spiti valley region of Himachal Pradesh. Luit are found in some areas of Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland bordering Assam. Luit is a medium sized black coloured buffalo with compact body and strong built up. Forehead is broad with conical face and wide muzzle.
Kahmi goat is native to Saurastra region of Gujarat. It Coat color is unique - neck and face are reddish brown while rear abdominal part is black, locally called Kahmi. Ears are long, tubular & coiled, locally called veludi. Wattles are present in majority of goat. These goats are used both for meat & milk.
According to Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, these native breeds are renowned for heat tolerance, disease resistance and thriving on low input system. “The process of identification of animal breeds and their documentation is not only important in providing value to the ingenious animal breeds and introducing various development programs of the government for their improvement but also plays a special role in preserving the biodiversity of the country,” Singh said.
Rajasthan has 26 registered indigenous breeds and is the top in the list, followed by Gujarat having 19 registered indigenous breeds and poultry.
India has about 15 percent of total cattle, 57 percent of total buffalo, 17 percent of goat, 7 percent of sheep and 4.5 percent of chicken of the world.