CHENNAI: Three semen stations in Tamil Nadu received 63 highgenetic merit bulls from across India to help increase milk production in the State. A bull distribution panel headed by the mission director of National Dairy Plan functioning under the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) distributed the bulls ranked based on their breeding value, official sources said.
The project aimed at fulfilling the need for high genetic bulls for semen stations was funded under Rashtriya Gokul Mission. About 225 bulls will be supplied to TN between 2019 and 2022 and a grant of Rs 20.87 crore was approved for it.
The bulls ranking for producing semen will be based on their mother’s milk-yielding capacity. The plan is to enhance milk-yielding capacity of the bull’s progeny to 10 to 12 litres a day. Currently, Holstein Friesians and Jersey cross-breed cows produce six to nine litres of milk a day.
“Over 20 breeds of bulls ranked based on their daughter’s milkyielding capacity are being distributed across the country. The bulls are supplied to three semen stations, which produce 70 lakh of semen straws a year, here,” said an animal husbandry department official.
Official data said, the percapita milk availability in the State is 316 grams in 2019-2020, while the national average is 406. Dairy farmers said the milk-yielding capacity of cows in TN is relatively lower compared to other States due to water scarcity and destruction of green cover. V Amudhan of Tiruvannamalai, a dairy farmer, said, “We are dependent on mineral mixture and other feed for cattle.
The government must enhance production of the mixture and distribute it at subsidised rates.” Another staff said, “The work for developing a new mineral mixture plant in Hosur and expansion of cattle feed manufacturing plant in Erode are under way.”