Himachal Pradesh govt to set up Murrah buffalo breeding farm

Shimla, Oct 10 (PTI) Himachal Presh government will set up a Murrah buffalo farm to get nutrient rich dairy products for people of hill state and joining region, state Animal Husbandry Minister Virender Kanwar said on Sunday.

buffalo breeding farm will be set up at a four hectare plot in Una district at a cost of Rs 5.06 crore under aegis of Himachal Presh Livestock and Poultry Development Board.

" idea of farm is to provide bovine breeders with an unulterated bovine frozen semen for artificial insemination (AI) from elite pure bulls to produce high-yielding calves," Kanwar said in a statement.

Murrah buffaloes, popularly known as "Black Gold", are highly suitable for professional and organised dairy farming for yielding high quality milk.

state government will set up three ultra modern sheds at a cost of around Rs 75 lakh to rear 50 buffaloes — 30 of m ults and 20 heifers.

ult buffaloes will be brought in two batches while heifers will be brought in three batches of 10 each.

Kanwar said each batch will be procured at an interval of five to six months and procurement of animals will be me from government and private buffalo farms whose animals are registered in Cattle Herd Registration Scheme (CHRS).

state government will provide high gre semen to state's farmers and surplus semen will be exported to joining states like Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Presh to meet growing demands, he said.

Murrah buffaloes, marked by ir distinctive tightly curled horns and massive and stocky build, are famous around world for ir high milk yields.

Since 1960s, Murrah bulls have been taken from India to Bulgaria, Brazil, China and several East Asian countries to help in efforts to improve ir native breeds and increase milk yields.

minister said under project, state government will provide surplus Murrah heifers, ults and bulls to farmers for commercial use within and outside state.

average milk production of a Murrah buffalo is about 2,200 litres in a lactation period of 310 days.

daily lactation of an elite milch Murrah buffalo is around 14 to 15 litres but in some cases found to be up to 31.5 litres. fat in milk is around 7.5 per cent, Kanwar said. PTI ACB SNE