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Raymond’s JK Trust gets Rs 4.83 crore to bolster cattle breeds with IVF
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Thursday, 16 January, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
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JK Trust, promoted by Raymond's CMD, Gautam Hari Singhania, engaged in livestock breed improvement through its pioneering project in embryo transfer with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), has received a grant of Rs 4.83 crore under the Union government's Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM). The project JK BovaGenix is an initiative of JK Trust.
In 2014, the government launched RGM to develop and conserve indigenous breeds of cattle through selective breeding. The scheme comprises of two components: National Programme for Bovine Breeding (NPBB) and National Mission on Bovine Productivity (NMBP).
"This government has given considerable attention to animal husbandry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is also completely aware about our programme. We received Rs 4.83 crore for a three-year period spanning April 2019 to March 2022 as the ministry is impressed with our work,” said Dr Shyam Zawar, chief executive officer, JK Trust, while speaking to FnB News, on the sidelines of the recently concluded 107th Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru.
The Trust is now keen to make inroads into Karnataka which is among the leading milk producers in India. Talks are on with private breeders in Karnataka. The Holstein Friesians (HF) breed of dairy cattle from Punjab are high milk producing varieties. “We are looking at cattle from Karnataka as IVF recipients of these cows from Punjab. University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and ISKCON which has 17,000 cows have also evinced interest in our work,” said Dr Zawar.
“As the largest NGO in animal husbandry in India, we operate in around 35,000 villages across 11 states providing the services of artificial insemination to the rural farmers so as to improve the genetic breed and enhance milk production,” he added.
India’s animal reproduction scene was not that developed until JK Trust chipped in its expertise. Normally a cow produces one calf in a year. But with IVF, we have produced 14 calves from the Gir breed donor cow named 'Radha' in a span of one year for the first time in India. Between April to September 2019, we have also been able to ensure 56 IVF pregnancies from the Gir donor cow, Gauri. Of these 56 pregnancies, 38 were performed at JK Trust IVF centre near Pune and the remaining were at the farmers sheds across India. These calves are expected to be delivered anytime from January to June this year, according to him.
Although, India is one of the largest milk producing countries globally, the per capita availability of milk is poor as compared to global standards. Hence with IVF, India can maintain less number of dairy cattle which are genetically superior to produce more milk. “This is one way to decrease the number of non-productive animals with less pressure on grazing and feeding cattle,” noted Dr Zawar.
Stating that India dairy farmers need access to good breed of cattle, Dr Zawar said, “There was need for training in bovine IVF. In this regard, JK Trust had approached the government to offer a month of training in IVF under its guidance to produce embryos.”
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