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Animal husbandry takes front seat in Gujarat plans

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Soumitra Trivedi Mumbai/ Ahmedabad
Gujarat government and the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department will give priority to animal husbandry during the forthcoming Krishi Mahotsav 2007.
 
The government plans to open 250 artificial insemination (AI) centres in the state and it aims to increase the semen straw production to eight lakh in 2007-08.
 
The government plans to increase the number of milk producing indigenous breeds of cows like Kankrej, Gir and baffaloes like Jafarabadi and Mehsani baffaloes.
 
As per the figures provided by the Gujarat Livestock Development Board, the state government will produce 8 lakh semen straws of state's indigenous breeds like Kankrej cows, Gir cows, Jafarabadi and Mehsani baffaloes as well as Jersey 100 per cent and Jersey 50 per cent breeds.
 
The government also aims to open up 250 new AI centres for Gopalmitras (Paravets) to carry out artificial inseminations. Moreover, around 250 to 300 youths in various villages will be trained as Gopalmitras. The government plans to organise 500 fertility camps in the state in 2007-08.
 
The government may be planning to up the semen straw production but the figures of the last few years show that the production has fallen. The state had produced 8,05,698 frozen semen straws in 2002-03.
 
This production declined to 5,87,171 in the year 2003-04 which further took a dip and went down to 5,62,451 in the year 2004-05. The government had decided a target of producing 10 lakh semen straws in 2006-07.
 
The targets are to be fulfilled by the implementation agencies including the Department of Animal Husbandry, Co-operatives, Dairies like Panchmahal, Banas, Uttam, Baroda, Sumul, and BAIF as well as veterinary colleges of Anand, S.K. Nagar and Junagadh, Gau Sewa Ayog and Gir and Kankrej Gopalak Sangh Ltd., Gondal.
 
According to the 11th annual plan of government of India the major milk producing states in the country like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana account for about 70 per cent of milk produced in the country.
 
The report on dairy and animal husbandry in the 11th annual plan also says that Gujarat has scored well in the increase in the buffalo population. The highest increase in the past five years was in Haryana (25.1 per cent) followed by Uttar Pradesh (20.6 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (13.9 per cent), Gujarat (13.6 per cent), Uttaranchal (12.2 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (10 per cent) and Rajasthan (6.6 per cent).
 
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra have the highest buffalo population and account for nearly 60 per cent of the buffalo population.
 
The report on dairy and animal husbandry also states that in Gujarat land use for green fodder production is around 10 per cent or more.
 
It is noteworthy that the state had produced 6,742 tonnes of milk during the period February 1, 2004 to January 31, 2005. During the period February 1, 2005 to January 2006 the state succeeded in producing 6,940 tonnes of milk.
 
However, from February 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007 the state registered a major surge in milk production compared to the previous two years. During this period the state produced 7,291 tonnes of milk, an increase of 378 tonnes compared to the previous year. The state is likely to produce 7,786 tonnes of milk this year.

 
 

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First Published: Apr 20 2007 | 12:00 AM IST

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