Kerala: A ‘test tube’ Gir calf born on an indigenous breeding farm | Kochi News

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KOCHI: A dairy farm in Vaikkom with 145 indigenous Gir cows, considered the largest of its kind in India, now houses a calf born using in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET) technology. While there is nothing new in the use of the technology, this is the first time it has been used to create a “test tube” Gir calf on a private farm in the state.
While the Aamro Dairies farm, a venture of businessman NRI Murali Nair with investments in aviation logistics and training, took help from JK Bovagenix of the Singhania Group for IVF-ET, they are in the process of developing a laboratory which would offer several farms. facilitated to state farmers, thus increasing the state’s potential to increase the volume and quality of milk. The calf born Thursday was a male and they used an egg collected from a farm in Pune and imported from the Sobero pool in Brazil.
“It would be of great help to the farmers who are trying to develop indigenous breeds in the state. We have entered into a technical collaboration with a Brazilian company that will train our staff. Once that is done, we can offer the facility to everyone. kinds of cattle, ”Murali Nair said. In normal yards, a farmer may dream of having a maximum of eight Gir calves in his life, but with the use of IVF-ET technology, the number can go up to 150 per year.
“When I use egg collection, which can be done every five or six days, I get 30 eggs a month. These eggs, once fertilized in the laboratory, would give you fifteen to twenty good quality embryos. We can produce in one year. 100 to 150 calves per year, ”said Jayadevan Namboothiri, deputy director of the livestock department.
While a Gir cow produces an average of 2,750 to 3,500 liters of milk, offspring from an FIV-ET breeding would produce up to 9,000 liters, which is comparable to exotic breeds like the Holstein.
Murali Nair said when he started in 2018 and planned a small farm with six cows. “I started with Gir, who is one of the best dairy cows in the world because she gives you A2 milk. Now I have 145 cows and a well-developed niche market,” Nair said. Aaamro also offers a diverse range of products, including yogurt, ghee and condensed milk, all derived from A2 milk. “Embryo Transfer ensures that the best genetics are created on our farm. If there are 10 cows on my farm and only two are the best, instead of waiting for this cow to give birth every year, I can create multiple calves. from the same offspring with high milk yield over a shorter period, ”said Murali Nair.
The farm, which offers A2Mate brand products, has facilities for DNA extraction and chromosome mapping of all cows. It also uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines for the identification of viral diseases and near infrared (NIR) technology to assess the quality of silage and feed to avoid the presence of aflatoxins and pesticides.

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