Cross-bred cows boost Karnataka milk output

Bengaluru: Milk production in Karnataka has been surging over the past few years, rising from just 64.86 lakh kgs a day in 2015-16 to close to one crore kgs a day now. Since 2001-02, milk collection by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has increased by as much as 382%.

While improvement in availability of good fodder and financial incentives have helped boost production, a major reason for the spurt in output is the initiative by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department to inseminate cows with quality semen collected from foreign breeds and quality bulls.

Over the last few years, annually, close to 70 lakh such artificial inseminations have been carried out, resulting in the birth of cross breed cows that have high milk yield. 

From the Holstein Friesian (HF) breed bulls from Germany to Jersey from England, semen banks in the state house close to 100 imported bulls whose semen is collected for artificial insemination.

Of the 70 lakh inseminations, nearly 50% have been carried out by KMF. Over the last seven years, close to 57 lakh calves were born from insemination techniques. Annually, close to eight lakh calves are born through artificial insemination.

“Our native breeds are low milk yielding varieties and hence, artificial insemination was planned to improve the yield by using semen from imported bulls. These imported cattle by themselves cannot survive in the natural climatic conditions here. Hence, we rear imported bulls, collect their semen and use it to breed the cows here,” a senior official from the AHVS Department said.

That apart, semen of native indigenous breeds, including the popular Hallikar and Amrith Mahal bulls, are also used to conserve the native breeds.

“Over the years, since many cattle were left to breed openly, it had resulted in production of indiscrete breeds of cattle and our pure native breed numbers have reduced. Hence, we are also producing semen straws of native breeds to conserve them and increase their population,” another official said.

Artificial insemination has served multiple purposes, officials said: improvement in milk production, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in cattle and conservation of native breeds.