KOCHI: Though the cow has been grabbing headlines in the country for all the wrong reasons over the past few years, the Central Government’s love for ‘desi cow’ has come as a blessing for one of the rare, indigenous breeds of the state - the popular Vechur cow noted for its disease resistance and low maintenance cost. The Central Government has directed the Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) to increase the number of genetically-important cows through embryo transfer technology from October 2, Gandhi Jayanti.
Jose James, managing director of KLDB, told Express as part of conserving the native variety of cows in the state, the board was told to produce Vechur calves using the embryo transfer technology for which the Centre has sanctioned a sum of Rs 2.49 crore. “The board has a hi-tech lab in Mattupetti where the training for the vets is under way,” he said.
According to project nodal officer J Anoop, KLDB was directed to produce 100 calves during the October 2-15 period. Since producing 100 calves in a short period has some limitations, the board has agreed to raise calves from five matured Vechur cows on an experimental basis. Around six embryos can be harvested from each cow after the donor is given a hormone to produce multiple ova, a process known as super- ovulation.
Around 30 embryo transfers can be performed during this period in five cows. But given its track record, the success rate is around 20-30 per cent. This method involves transferring the embryo of a native variety to a surrogate cross breed cow to increase the stock of progeny of a genetically-important cow. It is effective in producing calves with the superior traits of the mother, said experts. Although the project is hailed for conserving a rare indigenous cow from extinction, experts say depending heavily on a cow which yields hardly 2-2.5 l of milk a day won’t do good for a state which depends on other states to meet its daily requirement.
There are around 2 lakh enrolled dairy farmers here under Milma. Rearing native species is still not a profitable venture. The board also maintained it produces about 30 lakh doses of frozen semen annually as part of conserving high-yielding cows and enhancing milk production. Of the lot, about 16.2 lakh doses (obtained from cattle and buffalo) are supplied to around 3,000 artificial insemination centres in the state. The rest are sold outside. The board also produces around 30,000 doses of frozen semen of native cows like the Vechur and Kasargod Dwarf varieties. It is mainly sold here itself.