NDRI gets 34 Gir breed cattle to enhance milk yield
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, June 2
The National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) has procured 34 Gir milch cattle from the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI), Jhansi in a bid to conserve the Gujarat breed famous for its tolerance to stress and resistance to tropical diseases,
“The number of Gir breed is declining and there are only 3000 such animals in the country. We have included this activity in our permanent programmes,” Dr. AK Srivastava, Director, NDRI, said.
“USA, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela had earlier procured this breed from here and had doubled their milk production. In Brazil, this breed is giving 3,500 kg of milk per lactation period while it is only 1,590 kg in India,” he added.
“It is our aim to improve the next generation of this breed so we would bring good quality semen from Gir hills and the forests of Kathiawar, including Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Amreli districts of Gujarat, the director maintained.
He said the physique of the cattle was unique as it has long ears which help it to keep away insects and flies. It has a convex forehead which helps it to keep cool and long face. It is tall in comparison to other indigenous breeds. Its horns grow down and backward and it has a big hump, he revealed.
