support to the farmers to meet their day to day needs. To achieve this goal, it
is necessary to upgrade buffaloes through Artificial Insemination using semen
of high milk yielding potential.
Recently, the State Government has set up 200 Integrated Buffalo
Development Centres in Kandi, Bet, Border and Water-logged areas for
exclusively upgrading breed of buffaloes in these regions by providing
Artificial Insemination services at the doorstep of farmers, using high quality
semen of bulls with milk production potential of minimum 4000
liters/lactation. Milkfed Punjab has been given the responsibility of
implementing the programme. It has engaged two N.G.Os - BAIF and J.K.Trust,
to set up, organize and run these centres for 5 years in the proposed areas.
At the end of five year project, each such centres shall produce 1000 calves
of upgraded milk potential; 50% of which are assumed to be female. The
N.G.Os are being paid on the basis of calves born. These NGOs are charging
Rs.30/- per AI from the farmers and same is deposited with Milkfed in a
designated Fund, which is proposed to be utilized for continuation of the
programme once these NGOs move out after completion of 5 year duration of
the project.
By adopting this method it has been envisioned that existing milk yield of
buffaloes will increase by more than 50% in 4th year and 100% in 8th year of
the project. Cross bred cows with same extent of enhanced milk yields shall
be available in 3rd and 6th/ / 7th year of the project.
It is proposed to broad base this programme to cover the entire State for
providing AI services at the door steps of the farmers to cover almost 100%
of cows and 60% of buffalo population by the year 2017. For this purpose
additional 1000 such Centress should be set up during the year 2013-14.
4. Milk Price Stabilization Fund
To ensure remunerative and uniform farm gate milk price to the milk
producers, a Milk Price Stabilization Fund should be created in Milkfed Punjab.