Indian Indigenous Cattle

M. Vajaya Ram with his Sahiwal cow at Goshala near Tarakaturu village in Krishna district. Photo: T. Appala Naidu  In 2012, Mr. Ram had brought two Sahiwal cows from Haryana to Tarakaturu on the Vijayawada-Machilipatnam national highway. Despite the Sahiwal cow is a dairy farmer’s friend by yielding eight litres of milk per day, the humble conservator of the cow never runs for the yield. At a time when the National Dairy Development Board aims at increasing the number of pure breed Sahiwal cow population in the country, M. Vijaya Ram, a farmer who owns four Sahiwal cows, began developing pure breed Sahiwal cattle in Krishna district. It is being widely discussed in India that the number of the pure breed Sahiwal cow and bull, a risk-resistant and heat tolerant, has been dwindling in the country over the years. The Sahiwal, a breed of Zebu cattle, known for its high resistance to parasites both internal and external, was originated in the dry Punjab region t...

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Success Story Conservation of Beetal goat -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The project was implemented with objectives of maintenance of Beetal goats in its home tract in pure form, checking further decrease in Beetal population, production of quality and elite breeding stock and improvement of production potential for sustainable utilization at the farmers’ door. Achievements of the Project: The project was implemented in 41 villages in 92 farmers flocks. In the first phase 176 does were selected and registered for recording growth and production parameters. Out of these 100 elite does were finally selected based on growth, milk production and prolificacy. Male kids from these elite goats were registered and 50 bucks were reared at farmers’ door to maturity. Selection criterion for these males was ...

Kept off NBAGR register owing to dwindling population Kachaikatty sheep, the native breed of Madurai district, seen in herds at Kachaikatty villagenear Vadipatti.Photo: S. James The prospects of Katchakatti sheep of Madurai being recognised as an indigenous breed at the national level looks bleak. Owing to its shrinking population, this famous black sheep remains out of the register of indigenous breeds of the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR). Senior NBAGR officials said the chances of the Katchakatti sheep joining the list of registered indigenous breeds in the immediate future were dim because of multiple factors, and this was communicated to those who had applied for recognition. “We are unable to process the application for want of data and documentation. Unless stringent norms prescribed by us are followed, this breed cannot be registered. The dwindling population is one of the reasons for the delay in recognising the sheep,” Arjava ...