Chandigarh, March 15: Desh Click News
With an aim to uplift socio-economic status of livestock farmers of the state by improving the germ plasm of milch animals, Punjab Government will procure around 2 lakh doses of sexed semen worth Rs. 5.3 crore, announced S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Punjab.
The Cabinet Minister was addressing a seminar on “Role of Animal Husbandry Department in the Upliftment of Socio-economic Status of Livestock Farmers of Punjab” at Kisan Bhawan here.
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian revealed that 50,000 doses of sexed semen will be procured this month, with an additional 1.50 lakh doses to be acquired by June 2025. So far, the state government has supplied 1.75 lakh doses of sexed semen for cows and buffaloes, of which 1.58 lakh doses have already been utilised during past two years, he added.
Emphasising the importance of encouraging livestock farmers to avail themselves of this government initiative, the Animal Husbandry Minister said that where private practitioners often sell sexed semen at exorbitant prices, in contrast, the same is available at the government institutions for just Rs. 250 per dose.
The use of sexed semen can result in over 90% female progeny, allowing farmers to avoid expenses related to rearing male calves, he said, while adding that additionally, the high genetic merit of the semen will contribute to the improvement of the existing germ-plasm in the state of Punjab.
Principal Secretary Animal Husbandry Mr. Rahul Bhandari apprised the Cabinet Minister that the high genetic merit female calves of cattle and buffalo have been born using this semen. The long-term utilisation of sexed semen is expected to help addressing the issue of stray animals.The other issues discussed in the seminar were on animal welfare, regarding magnet feeding in animals and projects in NLM.
Sharing success stories of farmers who have opted for sexed semen, Dr. G.S. Bedi, Director of the Animal Husbandry Department, reported impressive results. For instance, in the household of Jagsir Singh from Seerwali village in Sri Muktsar Sahib, a total of eight female calves have been born. Similarly, Baghel Singh, a resident of Lubanianwali, has also welcomed eight female calves. The quality and weight gain of these calves are remarkable. For example, a calf owned by Sant Kumar from Sardarpura village in Fazilka district weighs 80KG at just 63 days old.
Special Secretary Animal Husbandry Harbir Singh, all the Joint Directors and other senior officials were also present during the seminar.
Published on: March 15, 2025 8:43 pm
