According to the Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, ICAR has not undertaken cloning of cattle. However, cloned buffalo bulls are being produced for semen production.
As per Breed Survey 2013 country has 2,828 Punganur cattle as against 771 Punganur cattle as per 2007 Livestock Census. Considered among the world’s smallest breed of cows, the Punganur breed’s milk has a high fat content and rich medicinal properties. The Punganur dwarf cow originated in Chittoor district.
Rashtriya Gokul Mission: In order to complement and supplement the efforts made by the States/UTs for development and conservation of indigenous breeds, Government of India has been implementing Rashtriya Gokul Mission for development and conservation of all indigenous bovine breeds in scientific and holistic manner. Funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh for development and conservation of Punganur and Ongole breed of cattle. From the released funds State has:
(i) Established National Kamdhenu Breeding Centre as a repository of germplasm of indigenous breeds at Chintaladevi Nellore and conserving Punganur breed of cattle along with other breeds of cattle and buffalo;
(ii) Established and strengthened Embryo Transfer technology/ In Vitro fertilization lab at Lam Farm Guntur for propagation of elite animals of indigenous breeds including Punganur breed of cattle and
(iii) Inducted bulls of Punganur breed of cattle at semen station. ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has cryo-preserved 2700 semen doses from 10 Punganur bulls in the gene bank. (pib)
