CHENNAI: The state’s first sex-sorted semen production laboratory in Nilgiris was inaugurated by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday through video conference. The facility, along with several other infrastructure works, was developed at an estimated cost of `312.37 crores for the animal husbandry and fisheries departments.
The use of sexed semen doses for artificial insemination (AI) ensures that cows only give birth to female offspring, with an 85% success rate. The animal husbandry department plans to perform 3 lakh AIs using sexed semen for the 2023-24 financial year with the objective of increasing cow production and enhancing dairy farmers’ income.
The new facility, located at the district livestock farm complex in Udagamandalam, was funded jointly by the state and union governments. “For the first time, frozen sex-sorted semen to be produced by the department for the public.
The facility has the capacity to produce 7.2 lakh frozen semen straws in the next three years, with 3 lakh doses planned to be produced and administered to cows through veterinary centres across the state during the first year,” M Lakshmi, director of the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary told TNIE.
According to the sources from Tamil Nadu Livestock Development Agency (TNLDA), the benefits of the initiative can only be experienced after a few years since the sexed semen doses will only account for 5 to 10% of the total doses administered for AIs.
Explaining further the official said, “The sexed semen doses are to be produced from high genetic merit bulls of Holstein Friesian and Jersey breeds, as well as crossbreeds of Holstein Friesians and Jersey and Sahiwal breeds, depending on the requirements.”
“In accordance with the state’s breeding policy, sexed semen doses will be administered to cows of Jersey and Jersey cow breeds depending on the location where the cattle are farmed. There is no separate protocol for sexed semen, and the breeds will be decided based on the dairy farmers’ patronage,’’ added the official.