India's dairy sector develops indigenous sex-sorted semen tech for 90 % female calves, more milk

GREATER NOIDA: India is struggling to prevent gender-based selective elimination of the girl child. But when it comes to cattle, it has developed an indigenous technology to do away with the unwanted male progeny.
The indigenous technological intervention to enhance productivity of milch animals will be soon rolled out in the country making it affordable and accessible for India's dairy farmers.
NDDB Dairy Services, a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has successfully conducted field trials of sex-sorted semen through which the animal delivers only female calf. Currently, only two companies across the globe manufacture sex-sorted semen doses.
"We have successfully conducted field trials in Maharashtra and Chennai. The success ratio of an animal delivering only female calf is about 87-90 per cent. During the trials 20-25 female calves were produced," said C P Devanand, deputy managing director of NDDB Dairy Services.
Devanand said this on the sidelines of International Dairy Federation (IDF)'s World Dairy Summit 2022 here.
The technology is completely developed indigenously under research collaboration with Bengaluru-based bio-engineering player Jiva Sciences Private Limited along with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, the Indian Institute of Technology , Chennai and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru to make it efficient and affordable.
Currently, for sex sorting technology for bovine semen only imported technology from USA-based Sexing Technologies (ST USA) is implemented in India through its Indian arm ST Genetics India.
"The cost per dose for artificial insemination (AI) of sexed semen stands at about Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 and if the animal requires multiple doses the overall cost of AI shoots up to Rs 4,000 per animal for the farmer, making it less viable," he said.
"We are ready for the commercial launch by end of this year. The cost of our sexed semen per dose would be around Rs 250 per dose that is much affordable as compared to the existing alternate available," said Devanand.
The sex-sorting semen technology separates the male sperms from spermatozoa of the cattle and ensures only female calf is delivered. This restricts the birth of male calf, and increases the population of milch female calf.
Once launched, the sex-sorted semen would be made available through NDDB Dairy Services' existing network throughout the country. The technology is mostly used for cows, as the male buffalo carries value higher than a bull.