Insemination programme of cows to be launched in Punjab

Chandigarh , July 16 (UNI) In order to further boost the productivity of milch cattle, Punjab has set a target of 18 lakh artificial insemination in cows and 12 lakh in buffaloes during the ensuing year.

This was disclosed by Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike at a meeting held here, today.

Mr Ranike said that an active campaign would be launched to publicise the policies and programmes of the Punjab Government among the general masses so that the benefits could percolate to the grass root level. He disclosed that during the previous year 14.46 lakh cows and 8.40 lakh buffaloes were artificially inseminated with quality frozen semen.

He further added that the state with three per cent cattle population in the country was contributing 11 per cent to the total milk pool of the country and per capita availability of milk was 930 gms, the highest in the country.

Mr Ranike said that, rice-wheat farming system had not only reached its plateau but also led to heavy depletion of soil elements and water resources. "Livestock economy is one of the prominent contributors to agriculture growth in the state", he added.

Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) from livestock sector increased from Rs 945 crore in 1985-86 to 2197 crore in 2004-05, that is at the rate of 5.1 per cent per annum. The NSDP from crop production and other allied activities increased from Rs 2036 crore to Rs 3047 crore, registering a 2.11 per cent growth per annum.

The relative contributions of agriculture declined from 68.3 to 58.2 per cent and that of livestock increased from 31.7 to 41.8 per cent in the total contribution of these two sectors in NSDP, indicating the increasing role of livestock sector in the economy of the state. The animal husbandry minister emphasised that the youth instead of running after white collar jobs, should take up allied vocations such as dairy, poultry, piggery and fisheries, which can increase the productivity and income of the farmers.

Mr Ranike said that the central government to have control over the quality and quantity of production, procurement and supply of germplasm, was contemplating a special body- National Germplasm Grid. He added that a committee had been constituted to work out the modalities and scope of National Germplasm Grid and Dr B S Sidhu from Punjab had been nominated as one of the members of the five member committee.

UNI