crossbreeding

[Guest guest]

from Livestock and Livelihoods by NItya Ghotge

"the crossbreeding programme with exotic animals has become the major focus of

the Animal husbandry department ( India).....While crossbred animals might

perform well in well endowed areas of the with adequate means of fodder and

veterinary care they fare poorly in marginal, fragile....areas.... Yet the

Government sought to promote these schemes uncritcally.

 

For a cross breeding programme to be effective , it is important to maintain

pure lines of good local breeds.This did not happen.Breed records and pedigrees

were badly maintained in most villages, In effect the programme became a breed

up gradation programme of local nondescript zebu cattle with high milk

producing exotic cattle , After the third filial generation the crossbreds

were neither hardy tough zebu cattle who could withstand tropical conditions

nor good milk producers, but a sorry even more non descript variety of hapless

crosbreds with the combined defects of both breeds. One only has to visit some

of the poorer hilly areas of the country to see this unfortunate looking animal

which 50 years of independent India has created.

 

Artificial insemination with exotics was given such a large incentive that

traditional systems of breeding collapsed, Communities who raised male

animals for the purpose of breeding could not face the competition of of

almost free services of the Government ..... many good dual purpose breeds have

lost out."

 

ys Labangaltika dasi