Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, March 15-
With an aim to uplift socio-economic status of livestock farmers of the state by improving the germ plasm of milch animals, Punjab Government will procure around 2 lakh doses of sexed semen worth Rs. 5.3CR, announced Gurmeet Singh Khudian, cabinet minister, Punjab.
The Cabinet Minister was addressing a seminar on “Role of Animal Husbandry Department in the Upliftment of Socio-economic Status of Livestock Farmers of Punjab” at Kisan Bhawan here.
Khudian revealed that 50,000 doses of sexed semen will be procured this month, with an additional 1.50 lakh doses to be acquired by June 2025. So far, the state government has supplied 1.75 lakh doses of sexed semen for cows and buffaloes, of which 1.58 lakh doses have already been utilised during past two years, he added.
Emphasising the importance of encouraging livestock farmers to avail themselves of this government initiative, the Animal Husbandry Minister said that where private practitioners often sell sexed semen at exorbitant prices, in contrast, the same is available at the government institutions for just Rs. 250 per dose.
The use of sexed semen can result in over 90% female progeny, allowing farmers to avoid expenses related to rearing male calves, he said.