Artificial pig breeding centre sets records in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jun 4 (UNI) Mizoram is credited with the country's first Artificial Pig Insemination (API) field level centres with a success record of more than 90 per cent.

Setup in 2002-2003 under the North Eastern Council (NEC) scheme, the centres at Selesih and Lunglei are attached to the regional pig breeding farm with a full-fledged high-tech automated laboratory.

Artificial Insemination (AI) is the deposition of spermotozoa in the female genital tract by artificial instruments rather than natural service. It enables the use of superior boar to ten times more number of sows. The cost of artificial insemination is lower than that of natural service.

''At present Mizoram is the only state in the country to have taken up API in field level, which currently generates an average stock of about 6,700 piglets annual for commercial operations with the success rate of more than 90 per cent'', Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary C Sangnghina told UNI.

The successful implementation of the pig breeding farm had also helped the state to wipe out its indigenous breed of Mizo pigs by replacing them with improved crossbred pigs of greater weight and good health, he added.

The main objective of the farm was to produce superior breeds of piglets for private breeding within and outside the state, Mr Sangnghina said. Besides upgradation of local indigenous pigs by cross-breeding with exotic varieties, production of meat variety for distribution among the farmers.

Dr V L Enga, the officer in-charge of these API laboratories, said the doses of the super boar semen obtained by artificial methods were despatched to various centres and to the farmers for insemination.

''The farm, which earlier imported stocks of Large White Yorkshire and Landracc sows for breeding from England'', he said ''West Bengal and the centre in Kolasib district were among the places to which these high variety piglets were being supplied from these farms''.

Dr Enga also mentioned that his department has submitted a new scheme to NEC for setting pig farms in each district headquarters for commercial production and export of piglets to other states at the cost of about Rs 1 crore.

Apart from this, AH Vety department would be adopting more effective and scientific breeding practices to esablish a world-class PAI network for rapid dissimination of superior germplasm of high pedigree boars and cover the entire breedable pig population, he claimed.

A short course of training will also be organised for about 30 veterinary doctors, which would impart in handling AI equipments, appliances and how to inseminate heated gilts and sows in the laboratories.

A 30-year old farmer Lalingpui, who adopts API in her pig farm here, claimed that about 12 healthy piglets were produced during the first AI process.

The animal husbandry complex also consists of a cattle breeding farm, a central poultry farm, state turkey breeding farm, feed mixing mill and a fodder seed production farm besides the regional pig breeding farm.

Mizoram pig population is estimated at 2,70,000 while the cattle population is about 10,000, which is grown widely for meat.

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