Stress on need to convert green fodder into silage

VARANASI : It would be ideal if both the central and state governments jointly took advantage of various central schemes related to animal husbandry and dairying, said Atul Chaturvedi, secretary, dairy animal husbandry department, Government of India here on Tuesday. Speaking in a farmers’ awareness programme on Project Gir, he mentioned that the Varanasi Milk Union was the country’s first milk union to have gobar gas-based plant. Dr Indramani Chaudhary, director, animal husbandry, Dr AK Singh, CEO, Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board (ULDB), Dr Bhushan Tyagi, joint commissioner (RGM), department of animal husbandry and dairying (DAHD), Government of India and Sanjeev Singh, district magistrate and collector, Chandauli were also present. The Project Gir, Varanasi, has been launched in UP to fulfill PM Narendra Modi’s dream of increasing milk production in the state.

Chaturvedi stressed on the need to convert green fodder into silage. Such preserved green fodder can be made available throughout the year and at a much cheaper price. He further highlighted the need for cattle insurance and animal health services at the doorstep of farmers. The aim should be to increase productivity and reduce input costs, he said. Meenesh Shah, chairman, National Dairy Development

Board (NDDB) said that NDDB-managed Varanasi Milk Union was on the path to progress as motivated milk producers were being provided the required market access. The union’s milk procurement was steadily increasing and the unique technology-driven initiatives of NDDB were eventually bringing rural prosperity.

He said that DAHD, Government of India, had planned to implement Project Gir for next five years in Varanasi with the provision of Rs. 36.5 crores. Under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, inducted Gir cows would be used to enhance productivity and increase milk production in a sustainable manner through advance technologies like IVF and sex sorted semen.

Major components under this project

Induction of 450 Gir cows already been inducted from breeding tract of Gir cows i.e. Saurashtra in Gujarat. These are going to be distributed to the beneficiary farmers soon. Establishment of 5000 pregnancies using IVF embryos produced using high genetic merit cows and semen from best of the males. Every year 1000 pregnancies will be established under this project. These will help in accelerating the breed improvement efforts planned by the department

of animal husbandry under accelerated breed improvement programme of Rashtriya Gokul Mission. It has also been planned to establish 40,000 pregnancies every year using sex sorted semen thus a total 2 lakh pregnancies in next five years. Using sex sorted semen guarantees production of 90% female calves only.

NDDB to implement the project. Benefits will percolate to the owners of milch animals, especially small and marginal farmers.