HYDERABAD: Now, Telangana has its first officially-recognised indigenous cattle breed - Poda Thurpu. This unique breed, found in Nagarkurnool district, is mainly bred inside Nallamalla forest of Amrabad and the adjoining areas, including Achampet, Lingal and Padra.Also, a chicken line developed at the Directorate of Poultry Research in Hyderabad has been officially registered as PD2 (Vanaraja female) line.
The Poda Thurpu and PD2 (Vanaraja female) have been registered at the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) in Haryana.
The Telangana State Biodiversity Board, along with a few NGOs, including the Watershed Support Services and Activity Network, has been documenting Poda Thurpu’s biological uniqueness and its importance for the past couple of years, an essential aspect for registering them with the NBAGR.
There are an estimated 15,076 Poda Thurpu cattle in the state. They graze inside the dry deciduous Nallamalla forest, making it a strong breed that requires less water and fodder. At the same time, they have good draft power. The breed is characterised as having white coat with brown patches or red/brown coat with white patches, with straight horns.
The NABGR, under Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), is the nodal agency for registering the newly-identified germplasm of livestock and poultry in India. The newly-identified breeds are approved by the Breed Registration Committee (BRC), headed by Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), ICAR.
The BRC, at its meeting held on January 24 in New Delhi, approved the registration of thirteen new breeds of livestock and poultry, which include Poda Thurpu and PD2 (Vanaraja female).Currently, the NBAGR has 197 indigenous breeds, including 50 cattle, 17 buffalo, 34 goats, 44 sheep, seven horses and ponies, nine camels, 10 pigs, three donkeys, one yak, 19 chicken, two ducks and one goose.
A rare recognition
The Telangana State Biodiversity Board, along with a few NGOs, has been documenting Poda Thurpu’s biological uniqueness and its importance for the past couple of years, an essential aspect for registering them with the NBAGR