~A scientific breakthrough leading to organic growth in milk yield through multiplication of Indigenous cattle breeds~
In line with the Government of India’s ‘Rashtriya Gokul Mission’ to rapidly multiply & upgrade Indigenous breeds of cattle such as Gir (Gujarat), Sahiwal (Punjab/Haryana), Tharparkar (Rajasthan), Ongole (A.P.) & others
First of its kind initiative in India that will produce IVF embryos on a large scale from Indigenous breeds of cattle
A State of the Art In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Lab will produce genetically superior IVF Embryos for fresh embryo transfer or can be frozen for future use
Establishment of 14 pregnancies through fresh IVF embryos and 14 pregnancies through frozen IVF embryos by JK BovaGenix
Establishment of pregnancies through frozen IVF embryos for the first time in India by JK BovaGenix
Mobile Embryo Transfer & IVF Van to travel across villages in the country
to pace the new wave of “White Revolution”
Chhattisgarh, 20th July, 2016: JK Trust – one of the largest NGOs working towards Cattle and Buffalo Breed Improvement using the Artificial Insemination (AI) technology, announced a major breakthrough that will revolutionize the rural landscape. JK BovaGenix – a first of its kind initiative conceptualized & developed for establishing pregnancies from the IVF embryos of selected Indigenous cattle breeds was launched today by Dr. Raman Singh, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh at Gopalnagar.
JK BovaGenix aims to establish 1000 IVF pregnancies in the first full year of operation, increasing to 10,000 pregnancies by the year 2020. In line with the Government of India’s Rashtriya Gokul Mission, this initiative assumes strategic significance given the pressing need for enhancing milk productivity of the various Indigenous breeds.
Also present on the occasion were Dr. Suresh S. Honnappagol, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Government of India; Shri Brijmohan Agrawal Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, Government of Chhattisgarh and Shri Ajay Chandrakar, Hon’ble Minister for Panchayat, Rural Development and Health, Government of Chhattisgarh.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. V.P. Singhania, Chairman of the Trust said, “Launch of the JK BovaGenix earmarks a new phase in India’s growth story that would bring in a revolution in producing genetically superior cattle breeds at a rapid pace, thereby enhancing the milk yield in a short period of time. Cattle rearing and agriculture have a huge interdependency and being an agrarian society, this initiative assumes significant importance for rural India.” This is the second initiative undertaken by JK Trust. The first initiative – “Cattle and Buffalo Breed Improvement Programme” has been undertaken in more than 45000 villages across 11 states that has delivered phenomenal outcomes. In a nation bereft of food to avert child mortality due to malnutrition, both these projects while supplementing each other will provide sufficient milk to the villagers, not only for selling it in the marketplace but also for household consumption.
JK Trust is also in the process of establishing a frozen semen bank near Raipur for the production of high quality semen from pedigree cattle and buffaloes.
Indigenous cattle breeds in India have a lower milk yield as compared to the same breed in other parts of the world. For instance, indigenous breeds like GIR produce 2.5 times more milk in Brazil as compared to our country, not necessarily by eating twice the quantity of fodder.
Further elaborating on this scientific breakthrough, Dr Shyam Zawar, CEO - JK Trust said; “JK BovaGenix is a reaffirmation of our commitment to augment the quality of life in rural India. By introducing this latest technology in the country, we intend to conserve and propagate indigenous breeds mentioned above. JK BovaGenix has established 14 pregnancies through fresh embryos & 14 pregnancies through frozen embryos in the last three months since its inception. The first batch of IVF calves are expected to be born by the end of this year.”
JK Trust has commenced this IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) work in Cattle at its state of the art laboratory named ‘Dr. Vijaypat Singhania Centre of Excellence for Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Livestock’ located at Gopalnagar near Bilaspur, in Chhattisgarh. Additionally, JK Bovagenix would reach farmers across villages in India through a Mobile Cattle ET & IVF Lab that was unveiled during this occasion. This van will facilitate in taking this new & advanced Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to the door steps of farmers in villages across the country. This initiative by the Trust is yet another milestone to enhance the aura of the White revolution in India.
About JK Trust
- JK Trust, one of the largest NGOs in the country, considers it its social responsibility in working towards the “Cattle and Buffalo Breed Improvement Programme". Today we operate through 4500 AI centres in 161 districts of 11 states covering 45,000 villages having a reach of 4.5 million farmers. Large numbers of our centres cover large tracts of tribal & backward areas, while some centres are operated only by lady ‘Gopals’. This initiative has played a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of the cattle bloodline by using scientific techniques such as Artificial Insemination (AI) and other veterinary care services. This has helped us in addressing the core issues of our agrarian society by alleviating poverty, reducing malnutrition & creating employment in rural India.
Website: www.jktrust.org