Centre boost for cattle

Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday laid the foundation of a frozen semen bank station at Maranga in Purnea, around 320km east of here, and said it could benefit the Northeast if the capacity were increased.

Nitish said bulls of better breeds will be bought and their semen conserved properly for artificial insemination of cows and buffaloes. Previously, insemination was done with traditional methods, which led to spread of various types of diseases in the cattle.

“This centre, being established over 85 acres, will have a capacity for 50 lakh artificial insemination straws per annum. This is a huge capacity, but could be expanded further according to the space available. This will not only benefit Bihar, but also the north-eastern states,” Nitish said, adding that Bihar’s capacity to produce artificial insemination straws was 3 lakh per year against need for 74 lakh straws per year.

“You can understand how much frozen semen is needed in the state. This bank will start functioning with a full capacity in two to three years,” he said after laying the foundation.

Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, state energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, animal and fish resources minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, disaster management minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav, art, culture and youth affairs minister Krishna Kumar Rishi, National Dairy Development Board chairman Dilip Rath and animal and fish resources’ principal secretary N. Vijayalakshmi also spoke on the occasion. Several legislators were also present at the foundation-laying ceremony.

The National Dairy Development Board is helping establish the bank as part of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, which aims to conserve and develop indigenous breeds in a focused and scientific manner.

Nitish also said the government aimed to increase farmers’ income, and take at least one item from Bihar to every food plate in the country.

“For this we are encouraging cattle rearing and poultry farming. Farmers get their maximum income from cattle rearing. Agriculture will develop only with the development of animal husbandry,” he said. “This frozen semen bank station will play an important role in the proper and timely insemination of cows of indigenous breeds, which would in turn lead to an increase in milk production.”

The chief minister also said cow dung was important as fertiliser in organic farming, while its urine could be used as pesticide. Hoping that the frozen semen bank will develop into a centre of excellence, Nitish thanked Union minister Radha Mohan Singh for it.

Courtesy: The Telegraph