January 31, 2024

India imports 40,000 doses of bull semen from Brazil to increase milk production

India has imported 40,000 doses of bull semen from Brazil, which will be used in artificial insemination as the country attempts to drive milk production, according to a report by Mint.

Government-owned cooperative National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which operates the famous Mother Dairy brand, said it has imported the doses that would be used to increase the number of native breeds such as Gir and Kankrej.

"The first imports of 40,000 semen doses just took place this month by India's NDDB," said Angelo de Queiroz Mauricio, agricultural attaché at Brazil's embassy in New Delhi. "It's been a project for a long time. For three to four years, they have been discussing it. Though it was a tough discussion, we managed to solve it and now import has taken place."

Despite being the world's largest milk producer, accounting for 24% of global output, India needs to increase output as demand is increasing exponentially for the world's most populated nation. India's current milk production is on par with its consumption.

NDDB is aiming to increase the average amount of milk produced by the cows here by mixing Brazilian genetics.

"The average here is eight litres. Some animals in Brazil can even produce up to 40 litres of milk. However, the average is 20-22 litres per animal," said Mauricio.

- WION