WAMUL Hosts Calf Show to Highlight Artificial Insemination Benefits in Assam

Artificial insemination is the intentional introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving pregnancy through in vivo fertilisation other than sexual intercourse. It is used in animal breeding as a fertility treatment.

Assam's agriculture and dairy minister, Atul Bora, Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass, and Cooperation Minister Nandita Gorlosa all attended the day-long event. Meenesh C Shah, Chairman of the NDDB, also attended as a special guest.

The exhibition featured 100 female calves born through artificial insemination (AI) in Assam via the Doorstep AI delivery service, which was funded by the World Bank and implemented by WAMUL with technical assistance from NDDB Dairy Services.

The show featured high genetic merit calves from indigenous breeds such as Gir, Sahiwal, and Red Sindhi, as well as cross-breeds between indigenous breeds and Holstein Friesian (HF) / Jersey (JY).

A few exotic breed calves, such as HF and JY, were also on display. The show also featured F1 mothers from Sahiwal, Jersey, and Red Sindhi. According to Meenesh Shah, chairman of the NDDB, dairying is one of the most important and effective sources of livelihood in agriculture and allied industries.

Furthermore, Shah elaborated on the benefits of dairying, which extend beyond milk and milk products to gobar gas for fuel and slurry for organic manure.

In terms of productivity, Chairman NDDB emphasised the importance of feed and fodder development on a larger scale. "We have observed that the districts covered by WAMUL milk procurement have the best AI adoption because there is a ready market for their milk all year," the NDDB chairman said.

The collaboration between the Govt of Assam and the NDDB, as well as the launch of the fodder mission, are expected to propel cooperative dairying into a Golden Period in Assam Dairy Development. Assam is currently a milk deficit state, relying on imports from other parts of the country to meet its needs. Furthermore, per capita milk consumption is lower than the national average