India to import bull semen from Brazil to boost milk production: Report

In an attempt to increase milk production in the country, India has imported 40,000 doses of bull semen from Brazil, to be used in artificial insemination, according to a report in Mint.

Government-owned cooperative National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which operates the famous Mother Dairy brand, said it has imported the doses that would be used to increase the number of native breeds such as Gir and Kankrej.

Notably, Gir, one of the principal Zebu breeds that originated in India was gifted to Brazil by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar in the 18th century. Since then, the South American nation has preserved the original breed which has now become a high-milk producing breed. It is quite famous in other South American countries due to its ability to survive extreme weather.

Meanwhile, the native species in India declined due to cross breeding.

“The first imports of 40,000 semen doses just took place this month by India’s NDDB. It’s been a project for a long time. For three to four years, they have been discussing it. Though it was a tough discussion, we managed to solve it and now import has taken place," Angelo de Queiroz Mauricio, agricultural attaché at Brazil’s embassy in New Delhi was quoted as saying by the outlet.

Why India needs more milk?

Despite being the world's largest milk producer, accounting for 24 per cent of the global output, India needs to increase output as demand is increasing exponentially for the world's most populated nation. India's current milk production is on par with its consumption.

NDDB is aiming to increase the average amount of milk produced by the cows here by mixing Brazilian genetics.

“The average here is eight litres. Some animals in Brazil can even produce up to 40 litres of milk. However, the average is 20-22 litres per animal," said Mauricio.

India wanting to import Brazilian bull semen is an idea that was first mooted in 2017. However, it never managed to get off the ground as detractors opposed the move saying the Brazilian semen will lead to genetic erosion and destroy the purity of India's original established cattle.

The cow breeders argued thatNDDB provide technical guidance to Indian cow breeders, purchase bulls from them and do research on various indigenous breeds before purchasing Brazilian bull semen.

(With inputs from agencies)