French revolution in Kerala -Montbeliarde cattle to the State

'Montbeliard': Dogs do not bark and the caravan goes on..... (comment posted by Dr John Kuruvilla: 30 Nov 2010 : 08:20am)

Even though the experts rejected the KLDB move to import the semen and embryos of the French cattle breed(Please read this report in 'Indian Express dated 27 Sat 2010), they are going on with it. Experts like Dr Soasamma Iype and Prakash Kalarikkal have rejected this move (in this press report) pointing out the envisaged breeding programme with 'Montbeliarde' is on wrong track and would end up in the similar disaster which the cattle breeders or farmers are even now suffering from !!

No detailed discussions took place prior to signing MoU with the French Dairy Co-op. Now who will bell the cat? Why not the other 'experts' in the Universty are coming out with their opinions? Is that they will get some meat cuts to eat when the caravan goes on (that is why they are not barking at all) ?           

Dr John Kuruvilla

Though Dr.Ani.S.Das is reluctant to clarify on the points and remove the apprehensions of the veterinarians and scientists at this forum, he is smart enough to take the dairy farmers, media and general public in to confidence through his PR exercises. Read on the translated version of the article appeared in Malayala Manorama, the latest in the series.

Montbeliarde cattle and Kerala's Dairy Sector: A dream comes true: Dr.D Shine Kumar

Finally, the long wait of Kerala for new cattle generation is over. The Montbeliarde cattle from the banks of Seine (France) are about to be launched in Kerala as saviors of the dairy farmers who were silently suffering from the miseries resulted out of the clichéd breeding policy and the poor milk production through the decades. The germ plasm of the new cattle breed is brought to Kerala by the KLD Board.

Milk production (that ranges from 30 to 60 litres per day) tops the merit list of this attractive breed with tan patches over ivory body color. The Kappa Casein rich milk of this breed can boast of the 4% fat, 3.5% protein and an average production of 7750 litres. The breed is known for its mastitis resisting capabilities and can be reared for milk production with enriched straw and hay.

The breed is reputed for beef production too. While the bulls weigh up to 1200 Kgs, the cows will fetch up to 600 kgs. of meat.  With a deficit over 5 lakh litres of milk per day, Kerala is bewildered over the shrinking agricultural land and grazing area. Cattle breeds that can produce more milk from lesser cultivable area of land are the need of the hour. And this state of affairs prompted the Government of Kerala to eye on the Montbeliarde cattle that can take on the deficiencies of the present cattle wealth of Kerala.

On receiving the nod to proceed on formulating an understanding with the Livestock Institute (France) and the Paris Agricultural Research Institute, the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Kerala met the Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture (France) and reached an agreement on the import of the germ plasm of the breed. Two thousand frozen semen units and fifty embryos are expected to reach Kerala shortly and hopefully, will give birth to calves at the Mattuppetty Farm of KLD Board. If everything goes right, the dairy farmers of Kerala will have the new generation Montbeliarde cattle within one year.

According to Dr. Ani.S.Das, Managing Director, KLD Board, “this is yet another experiment as was the case with the Jersey and Holstein-Fresian breeds, and we can expect miracles out of the cross breeding of our own cattle with the pure Montbeliarde breed”.  More information can be had from Kerala Livestock Development Board, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram Tele: 0471 2440920

(This article on the Desi Cattle Breeds appeared in ‘Mathrubhumi’ daily quite recently and gains significance in the eve of changes in the cattle breeding policies of Kerala. With the permission of the author, we have translated it from Malayalam…… and now for your comments:  Editor)

We are witnessing the frantic search for germplasm of exotic cattle breeds with high production potentials. Instead, a genetic engineering process to tap the potentials and the disease resistance capabilities of the desi cattle breeds is the need of the hour.

Cattle rearing are one of the proud heritages of ancient India. It was the livelihood of millions throughout India and a natural supporting system to the agricultural production. Cows were synonymous with sanctity and prosperity. Milk is the best balanced food and helps millions in health care. People considered splashing of water tinged with cow dung after cleaning of households to bring back the freshness. The ‘Panchagavyam’ is a mix of, milk, curd, ghee, cow urine and cow dung. Every body part of this animal as hide, bones, hooves, horns were used for various needs of man. Yes, cow was considered as the ‘Kama Dhenu”.

The diversity of India can be spotted in the array of cattle also. All are best suited to the people, places and climate of India. Tough the cows may be different in their colour, shape and sizes, the milk remain the same in colour and properties. The cows around the world are most known by their origin lands as Jersey, Swiss Brown, Vechur, Sindhi etc.

India is now the highest producer of milk. Since ancient times, India topped in the number of cattle and the number of breeds. The National Dairy Research Institute has documented more than fifty cattle breeds in India. 

Cows from Vechur, a small village near Kottayam could be considered as the own cattle breed of Kerala. The small size, low body weight, lesser feed intake etc. are the characteristics of this breed. Milk, though poor in quantity of production is rich in nutrient values. Small curved horns, fine and flowing skin and stout legs etc. are also some of the specialties of this desi breed. But this breed is on the verge of extinction after the decades of natural and cross breeding. Though late, animals of this breed could be spotted and conserved by Dr. Sosamma Iype and her colleagues of Kerala Agricultural University. The conservation efforts are going on.

‘Kapila’ is another rare desi cattle breed maintained by the ‘Thulu Brahmin’ people of South Canara region. They believe that the prosperity of their home will be gone forever once the ‘Kapila’ cow is sold out. According to the legends, ‘Kapila cow’ is born out the prayers of Kapila Maharshi.  The term “Kapila’ represents the blend of light yellow and ash colours. The calm and friendly cattle are also called ‘Kapila’ in Malayalam. Small head, short horns, low feed intake, and highly nutritious milk are considered as the specialties of this breed. Though the merits are laudable, this breed is not given its due recognition by the scientific community. Other notable desi cattle breeds of the Karnataka region are ‘Amrutmahal’ from Chikmagallur, ‘Hallikkar’ of Mysore, ‘Krishna’ of Krishnavalli, ‘Javari’ and ‘Killari’ of Bijapur.

The ‘Kankayam’ cattle breed of Coimbatore is more of work animals. The well-known desi cattle breeds of India are ‘Abalacherry’ of Thanchavur, ‘Barador’of Erode, ‘Aalampadi’ of Salem, ‘Red Kanthari’ of Kanthar (Maharashtra), ‘Gwala’ of Vidarbha, ‘Dangi’and ‘Divani’ of Nasik, ‘Kankrej’, ‘Raathi’, ‘Nagori’ and ‘Mevatti’  of Rajasthan, and the ‘Tharparkar’ of the deccans.

The list of desi cattle breeds of Indian region also includes ‘Haryana’ of Haryana-Hissar, ‘Gir’ of Gujarat, ‘Gangotri’ and ‘Bachor’ of Bihar, ‘Gwaliyor’ and ‘Malwi’ of Madhypradesh, ‘Nimari’ of Nimore, ‘Kenkath (Kenvarya) of Uttarpradesh, ‘Kiriga’ of Sikkim, ‘Ponwar’ of Himalayan belt, and the ‘Red Sindhi’ and ‘Sahiwal’ of Karachi.

The robust and stout legs, heat resistant skin and the perfectly balanced body shape of the desi cattle (‘Ongole’, ‘Dhoni’) were the prime reasons for their induction into the war zones along with the elephants and horses by the kings of India.  The desi cattle breeds as ‘Sindhi’, ‘Kankrej’ and ‘Sahiwal’ were taken back to Brazil in the earlier times during the trade of cashew and spices. They have taken the desi buffalo breeds as ‘Murrah’, and ‘Mehsana’.

The desi cattle breeds are blessed with their inherent abilities to resist the climatic variations and diseases. The unique fat globules of the milk from ‘Kapila’ and ’Vechur’ are said to have positive medical traits and cholesterol lowering properties. The desi breeds could digest almost anything from the agricultural by products and leftovers easily and hence need no special rations for maintenance. Hence rearing them is more economical. The local feeds with high proteins naturally attribute to more protein in their milk too. The only deficits often raised of the desi cattle breeds are the low milk production, high age of maturity, and the long inter-calving period.

The majority farmers of Kerala often maintain only a single cow in their households. And this system is limiting the possibilities of the ‘Intensive selection processes. The principle behind the Intensive Selection process is to select any top ten milk producers from among the hundred milch cattle, and A to further select ten toppers from among the hundred cattle of their next generation. This ongoing system of selecting the best is the uniqueness of the Intensive selection process.

The KLD Board, the once noted institution of India should be able to procure the advances in genetic engineering of the foreign countries and to pass them to the dairy farmers. Many of the foreign countries have reached the stage of micro manipulation, sexing and splitting of embryos, animal cloning and even gene transfers.

The ‘Nava Sunandini’ should be the product of the high milk producing potentials of the exotic breeds and the disease resistance and feed conversion capabilities of the desi cattle breeds. High tech management practices and high nutrient feeding alone will not yield positive results if are opting for the economical milk production. Even man cannot find enough food in the present times. It’s high time; the people at the helm of affairs review the decision to opt for the pure exotic cattle breeds with heavy body weight, high maintenance costs and poor disease resistance. Though the Hi-tech or some of the mini dairy may afford to maintain such breeds, it’s for sure that the common farmer will not be benefitted. What we need now is a one ‘Nava Sunandini’ with capabilities to withstand the climatic fluctuations and will produce reasonable quantity of milk under the present day limited physical conditions.  

Don’t know anything about the production potential and other parameters of the so called Montbeliyarde breed. I don’t have any ready access for reference and this breed is not heard of in our times. I don’t know whether the Govt. have had enough  and perspective discussion with competent persons in and outside the  state or even with credible foreign experts on animal breeding before arriving at a decision  of this magnitude which has far reaching consequences. Any how this is a subject for careful scrutiny and unbiased decision with in-depth application of mind. I appreciate your interest and patriotism. Only so much from a small person like me in the field of  animal genetics and breeding.