Hyderabad:

The Andhra Pradesh government is rolling out a project to boost production of Sahiwal and Ongole bulls breed at a cost of Rs 6.52 crore with the Central assistance.

The project, which consists of Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT), will give a fillip to the growth of indigenous ‘Sahiwal cow’ and Ongole bull population in the State.  The Sahiwal or `Montgomery’ is largely bred in Montgomery, Punjab region of Pakistan. The Sahiwal are widely bred in India, Australia and Kenya.

The project has been taken up with the Central assistance of Rs 6.52 crore and the first phase of the programme has been taken up at the Frozen Semen Bull Station, Banavasi village, in Yemmiganur mandal of Kurnool district and the Progeny Testing Unit in Chittoor district.

According to a senior official in the Animal Husbandry Department, the department was tasked to identify the Sahiwal bull, a cross breed with Jersey cow, that was identified in Chittoor and a few other districts.  The project spread over a three-year period and is intended to identify 160 best bulls of Sahiwal-Jersey breeds.

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home / by VRC Phaniharan / December 25th, 2014