ROURKELA: The Bovine Breeding Research and Bull Mother Farm (BBRBF) at Kuanrmunda is all set to become the exclusive breeding farm in Odisha for the much sought-after indigenous Sahiwal cows.
Usually resilient and disease-resistant with high immunity, Sahiwal cows deliver nutritious milk rich in high fat and SNF (solid not fat) content.
Moreover, this breed is docile in nature and suited to the Indian climate and environment. The milk of Sahiwal is sold at a higher rate than other breeds of cows, BBRBF sources said.
Farm Superintendent Dr Muktikanta Bhuiyan said Sahiwal breed of cows are going to be conserved here and it has been targeted to produce adequate Sahiwal bulls for supply to livestock farmers.
Two Sahiwal bulls of the farm have been selected and they would be shortly shifted to Frozen Semen Bank (FSB) at Khapuria in Cuttack.
The semen would be kept in a frozen state for supply to farmers across Odisha for artificial insemination, he added.
Included in the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, the BBRBF targets to produce 10-12 Sahiwal bulls with artificial insemination every year.
Maximum of 200 Sahiwal cows would be kept at the farm while surplus bulls and cows would the provided to farmers.
Similarly, Jersey cows and bulls would be provided to rest seven Government farms in Odisha in a phased manner, he informed.
As of now, the BBRBF has 203 bovines, including 58 Sahiwal cows, 42 Murrah buffaloes and 103 cross-breed Jersey cows and calves.
The farm has 72 Beetel variety of goats. The farm under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries was originally set up in the mid-1960s as Livestock Breeding and Dairy (LBD) Farm at Kuanrmunda along the National Highway-143.
In the past couple of years, the BBRBF has made rapid progress raising its daily milk production from 42 litres to 350-400 litres. Under RGM, Rs 3 crore has been sanctioned in the first phase.