BHUBANESWAR: The State government has introduced ‘sex sorted semen’ (SSS) under the artificial insemination programme that would ensure birth of female calves and enhance milk production and farmers income.
Under the innovative semen sorting technology, female calves will be produced with 90 per cent (pc) accuracy in comparison to 50:50 male to female sex ratio with normal semen. This will have far-reaching impact as not only the population of milch cows will expand, it will also address the stray cattle menace by reducing production of bulls.
Agriculture Production Commissioner Sanjeev Chopra said,“the artificial insemination programme is being implemented in accordance with the Odisha Bovine Breeding Policy. The SSS of advanced breeds such as Gir, Sahiwal, Cross Bred Jersey and Cross Bred Holstein Friesian will be available for farmers here,” he said.
As per the policy, genetic improvement of breed through artificial insemination has been taken up in a mission mode and currently around 15 lakh cows are being inseminated annually free of cost.Launching the programme, Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Arun Kumar Sahoo said the government is now focusing on cattle breed improvement to increase milk production with the use of semen of high genetic potential bulls.
Milk production has increased around three-fold in the last over 20 years, from 8.75 lakh metric tonnes in 2000 to over 23.73 lakh metric tonnes in 2021.Principal Secretary of the department R Raghu Prasad said the sex sorted semen programme will be implemented in all districts. The State government will provide a 75 pc subsidy to the dairy farmers. The subsidy is 100 pc in the mineral bearing areas covered under the OMBADC programme, he said.
Initially 5.5 lakh doses of sex sorted semen will be utilised to cover over 1.2 lakh dairy animals in the State in 2022-23. While the cost of a single dose of sex sorted semen is Rs 715, the government will provide it to dairy farmers at Rs 180 per dose.
Under the Mukhyamantree Krushi Udyog Yojana (MKUY), a subsidy of up to Rs 50 lakh is being provided to farmers and entrepreneurs to set up new dairy units and milk processing plants. Over 2.63 lakh dairy farmers are now selling milk to OMFED through 3,700 milk producers’ cooperative societies.