India possesses 27 acknowledged indigenous breeds of cattle and seven breeds of buffaloes. Various Central and Centrally sponsored schemes are being implemented for genetic improvement of cattle and buffalo with a view to enhance the per capita availability of consumption of milk through increased milk production. Efforts are also made to protect and preserve the indigenous cattle and buffalo in their native tract, which are facing threat of extinction. The elite animals are selected and registered on the basis of their performance for production of superior pedigree bulls, bull-mothers, frozen semen and frozen embryos for future breeding improvements.
The National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding envisages 100 per cent grant-in-aid to implementing agencies. The Project will also promote about 14,000 private artificial insemination (AI) practitioners and buildup an annual frozen semen production capacity of 66 million doses. Since inception, 26 States have been assisted with Rs 202.52 crore upto 31 March 2005 for participating in the Project.
A Central Herd Registration Scheme for identification and location of superior germ plasm of cattle and buffaloes, propagation of superior germ stock, regulating the sale and purchase, help in formation of breeders’ society and to meet requirement of superior bulls in different parts of the country is also being implemented. The Government has established Central Herd Registration Unit in four breeding tracts, i.e., Rohtak, Ahmedabad, Ongole, Ajmer. A total of 92 milk-recording centres are functioning to register these breeds of cattle, viz., Gir, Kankrej, Hariana and Ongole and in buffalo Jaffrabadi, Mehsani, Murrah and Surti. During 2005-06, 13549 animals were primary registered.
The seven Central Cattle Breeding Farms at Suratgarh (Rajasthan), Chiplima and Sunabeda (Orissa), Dhamrod (Gujarat), Hessarghatta (Karnataka), Alamadi (Tamil Nadu) and Andeshnagar (Uttar Pradesh) are engaged in scientific breeding programmes of cattle and buffaloes and production of high pedigreed bulls for National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding Programme besides providing training to farmers and breeders. During 2004-05, these farms produced 313 bull calves and supplied 252 high pedigreed bull calves for use under Artificial Insemination Programme in various parts of the country. The Central Frozen Semen Production and Training Institute, Hessarghatta (Karnataka) produced 13.43 lakh doses and supplied 14.74 lakh doses of frozen semen of high pedigreed Sahiwal, Red Singhi, Holstein Friesian, Jersey, crossbred and Murrah buffalo to different States for their AI Programmes.
