PM to unveil tech interventions for dairy sector in poll-bound Bihar

NEW DELHI: In what may be a game changer in improving cow breeds and ensuring decline of stray cattle population in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday pitch for three new technological interventions to give a boost to the dairy sector– setting up of ‘semen stations’, use of sex-sorted semen for producing only female calves and introducing IVF lab at farmers’ doorsteps for multiplication of high yielding animals at faster rate.
He will bat for these interventions while digitally inaugurating such facilities in poll-bound Bihar.
The PM will, on the occasion, also launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana’ – a flagship scheme for focused development of fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of ₹20,050 crore during a period of five years as part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package.
Though these technological interventions in the dairy sectors have already found a footing in the country in the last couple of years, Modi’s push may give them a much needed spurt as India looks to substantially increase milk production and productivity.
Modi will inaugurate one of the largest semen stations of India in the government sector with production capacity of 50 lakh semen doses per annum in Purnea. It will cater to demand of semen doses of eastern and north-eastern states. These semen doses are being used in the country for artificial insemination (AI) programmes to produce better quality of male and female calves.
Since the government aims to produce more female calves, use of sex-sorted semen in AI and IVF technology (commonly known as test tube baby technology) will help India achieve its goal. While sex-sorted semen will ensure birth of only female calves with more than 90% accuracy, the IVF technology will make the process faster. Sexed semen of high-grade merit bull of indigenous breeds will cut short the period of producing desired productivity animals.
The PM will launch use of sex-sorted semen in AI by Barauni Milk Union in Begusarai – parliamentary constituency of the Union dairying and fisheries minister Giriraj Singh. He will inaugurate IVF lab at Animal Sciences University, Patna.
At all-India level, the Centre has a target to conduct 90 lakh AI through sex-sorted semen in five years which will result in the birth of 24.12 lakh high milk yielding females to national milch herd. Projects to install sex-sorting technology have already been sanctioned for 12 semen stations in the country.
Two such projects have been functional in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh since last year. So far, 5.86 lakh doses of sex sorted semen have been produced. While 2.76 lakh AIs using sex-sorted semen have been performed in UP, 1 lakh AIs have been performed in Uttarakhand.
A mobile app, called e-Gopala, will also be launched by Modi. The app will help farmers in managing their livestock including buying/selling of disease free germ-plasm and getting veterinary first aid, vaccination and information on animal nutrition. The app will also send alerts (on due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving etc.) and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns.