To conserve indigenous cattle breeds and improve breeding for the faster improvement of livestock, the Department of Animal and Husbandry of Agriculture Ministry has rolled out a nine-day programme to carry out 440 embryo transfer technology (ETT) of higher genetic merit indigenous bovines into surrogate cows.
An Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT) is a technique by which embryos are collected from a donor female of superior genetics and are transferred in recipient females, which serve as surrogate mothers.
Embryos of indigenous breeds such as Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi, Ongole, Deoni and Vechur have been proposed to be transferred under this program. The ETT facilities would be provided to farmers' doorstep for better and disease free offspring of indigenous cattle to increase milk productivity in the country.
Top officials of Agriculture Ministry said that the programme has been initiated in 12 ETT centres across the country from October 2. This will continue till October 10. Under this programme, embryos of higher genetic merit indigenous bovines are being transferred in to surrogate cows. Embryos of Indigenous breeds such as Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi, Ongole, Deoni and Vechur have been proposed to be transferred under this programme. Gir breed is found in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra while Sahiwal breed in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Ongole, Deoni and Vechur breeds are found in southern parts of India while Red Sindhi is found borders area in India and Pakistan.
"The programme is being implemented with the objective of conservation and development of indigenous breeds under Rashtriya Gokul Mission," said officials adding that through the use of ETT, a farmer can get a 5-6 fold increase in a number of offspring. "Besides, the calves so born will be of high genetic merit and the offspring born will be free from diseases. The technology now being taken up to the doorstep of the farmers will result in rapid propagation of high genetic merit indigenous cattle," he said.
India has a bovine population of 300 million as per 19th livestock census 2012. Out of 190 million cattle population, 20 percent are exotic and crossbreds (39 million) and about 80 percent belonging to indigenous and non-descript breeds.
Thus 80 percent of the cow population gives only 20 percent of cow milk. As of now, a Gir cow produces 2-3 litres of milk a day while a Sahiwal cow produces 7-8 litres of milk a day as compared to 25-30 litres by Holstein Friesians (HF) cows.