Expert: Reproductive biotech can help raise milk output

Tribune News Service

Karnal, July 26

A six-day training programme on “Advances in reproductive biotechnology” began at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here yesterday.

The NDRI organised the programme in association with the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), Dhaka.

Addressing 20 delegates from SAARC countries, Mohammad Nure Alam Siddiky, Senior Programme Officer, SAARC countries, regional centre, Dhaka, emphasised on the reproductive biotechnology for increasing milk production in SAARC nations.

“Other SAARC countries do not have such kind of technologies, so the training programme will prove a milestone for them,” Siddiky said.

AK Srivastava, Director, NDRI, said 10 to 15 per cent of female cattle and buffaloes never calved in India, leading to a loss of around 22 million tonne milk. Even such kind of situation may prevail in the various countries of SAARC.”

“It is our target to make these animals at least one calved and reproductive biotechnology will help to meet the goal,” he said.

NDRI scientists would also be developing a biomarker with the help of biotechnology to detect the pregnancy, Srivastava said.