Pashu Sandesh, 04 feb 2025
In 2024, The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) made several significant developments that marked a new era in India's livestock and dairy sectors. In alignment with the Prime Minister's vision of "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat," these initiatives will help in Improving productivity, and provide cost-effective solutions to our farmers. Four major initiatives of DAHD that are pivotal for the future are-
1 Indigenously developed sex-sorted semen production technology “GAUSORT” –
This technology was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in Washim, Maharashtra on 5.10.2024. Under the Prime Minister's 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives, the National Dairy Development Board under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), has Indigenously developed sex-sorted semen production technology. Though India has been using sex-sorted semen technology for a long time the cost of imported technology was Rs 1000 per dose, which will now reduce to Rs 250 per dose with our indigenous sex-sorting machine. This technology has already been installed at CFSP&TI Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru and can be rolled out swiftly as per the requirements of the States. With affordable sex-sorted semen production technology in hand, the DAHD has now planned to produce a minimum of 10 lakh sexed semen doses annually.
2 Unified Genomic Chip for Cattle and Buffaloes
Also launched on 5™ October 2024, the Unified Genomic Chip for cattle and buffaloes marks a pioneering effort in genomic selection tailored to India's indigenous breeds. While genomic selection is common in developed dairy nations like the USA and Germany, their technologies are designed for exotic breeds such as Jersey and Holstein Friesian, which differ genetically from Indian breeds. In response, the Department through NDDB under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, has developed unified genomic chips namely the "Gau Chip" for cattle and the "Mahish Chip" for buffaloes. This unified genomic chip with higher reliability has been developed using genomic data generated by NDDB, NBAGR and NIAB. These chips, now available to farmers, will enable the early identification of high-quality bulls, enhancing productivity and genetic improvement.
3 Indigenously Developed Media for IVF
The indigenous media for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), launched on 13 September 2024, at the Monsoon Meet organized by DAHD at Bhubaneswar, represents another breakthrough. This indigenous media developed by NDDB, offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive imported media. This media is available in a small pack and is useful for all bovine IVF labs in the country. The indigenous media offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive imported media to propagate elite animals of indigenous breeds.
4 Livestock Product Traceability Platform
To address traceability issues in the dairy sector, the Home Minister launched the Livestock Product Traceability Platform in Gujarat on 22 October 2024 under the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM). The traceability platform, developed in partnership with GS1 India, enables end-to-end tracking of dairy products. By integrating data from the NDLM, Bharat Pashudhan Database and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions, the journey of milk from collection to retail can be traced. The QR codes will provide consumers with detailed product information, while producers can optimize internal processes.