Uttarakhand plans genetic enhancement of its indigenous Badri cow

Sex-sorted semen and embryo transfer technology will be harnessed to improve production of indigenous Badri cattle as part of ten-year State plan

To increase the productivity of its indigenous petite Badri cow, that grazes on the medicinal herbs of the Himalayas, Uttarakhand is now planning for its genetic enhancement.

At the recent chintan shivir (brainstorming session) of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami with Uttarakhand’s bureaucrats, the officials of the animal husbandry department of the hill State proposed to use sex-sorted semen technology to improve production of Badri cattle. They also proposed to opt for the embryo transfer method in order to produce more cattle of high genetic stock.

Apart from Badri ghee, which is available at the rate of ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 per kg, the State is also looking at the marketing potential of gaumutra ark (distilled cow urine), cow dung, and Panchgavya (the five products of the cow, including milk, curd, ghee, dung and urine).

Talking about the plan, B.V.R.C. Purushottam, secretary of the department, told The Hindu that the Badri cow is the first registered cattle breed of Uttarakhand which has been certified by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR).

“The issue with this variety of cattle is that its milk production capacity is quite less as it gives one to three litres of milk per day. To make the farmers of Uttarakhand breed Badri and not to shift to other high milk-producing alternative breeds like Jersey cows, we have decided to opt for Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer (MOET), a conventional embryo flush, which is the most common procedure used in advanced cattle breeding,” added Mr. Purushottam.

The official also said that ovum pickup in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is the other technology that will be used to increase the yield per animal. The proposal to introduce Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) for the project, to generate employment and entrepreneurship through native Badri cattle productivity enhancement, will cost ₹50 crore.

As proposed in the chintan shivir that was held in Mussoorie in the last week of November, the State aims to achieve its targets in the next 10 years. The shivir (session) aimed to prepare a road map for Uttarakhand as it nears 25 years of its formation.