National Project for Cattle & Buffalo Breeding

The National Project for Cattle & Buffalo Breeding has been merged in the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBDD) from February 2014. This scheme is no more in operation now. 

Genetic improvement in bovines is a long-term activity and Government initiated a major programme ‘National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding’ (NPCBB) in October 2000 for a period of ten years, to be implemented in two phases, with an allocation of Rs.402 crore for Phase-I. The Project envisages genetic up-gradation on priority basis. The project also has its focus on the development and conservation of important indigenous breeds. The project provides 100% grant-in-aid to the State Implementing Agencies (SIAs). The objectives of the scheme are:

1. To arrange delivery of vastly improved artificial insemination (AI) service at the farmers’ doorstep;

2. Bring all breedable females among cattle and buffalo under organized breeding through artificial insemination or natural service by high quality bulls within a period of 10 years;

3. Undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle and buffaloes so as to improve the genetic makeup as well as their availability.

This was a 10 years project in two phases. The allocation for Phase I was ` 442 Crore and for the second phase was ` 775.9 Crore. This scheme is currently in phase II and is valid up to December 2010.

Phase-II of NPCBB has been formulated taking into account recommendations of the evaluating agency (NABARD) and initiated in December 2006 with an allocation of Rs. 775.87 crore for a duration of five years from 2006-07 to 2010-11.

A major new component of Phase-II is bull production programme.

India is well known for world famous Murrah buffaloes. Murrah buffaloes are high milk producers with high fat content in addition to being efficient feed converters even when fed poor quality roughages. Murrah is the breed of choice in various parts of the country as well as broad in order to upgrade non-descript population in different states of India and also to upgrade the locally available low producing buffaloes in various countries e.g. Brazil, Italy, Philippines and Bulgaria. In spite of having best genetic resources, the productivity of Murrah buffaloes has not increased, as expected, mainly because of negative selection pressure due to poor acceptability of artificial insemination among buffalo population, availability of poor quality of sires at semen stations and use of bulls with unknown genetic potential under natural service. This situation has left the Murrah population in a state of genetic stagnation. In order to develop buffalo population, Murrah bull production programme with an allocation of Rs 128.28 crore has been taken up in Phase-II.