The Government of India’s decision to import semen of Gir bulls from Brazil supposedly to promote indigenous breeds of cows has led to protests in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Now opposition to this plan is also being expressed in Haridwar.
The milk of indigenous cows of India contains an effective A2 beta-casein protein that gets broken down into amino acids for easy digestion. This milk is known for its natural sweetness, as an immunity booster and for nourishing body tissues helping in growth and development of a child's brain.
But every second cow reared in the state is either Jersey of ‘Dogali’ (mix breed). Pure desi cow is becoming rarer to find. In the rush to have more milk production the small dairy farmers are falling prey to the cow breeders who are providing only hybrid varieties.
Manoj Bahukhandi of water works colony who recently bought a hybrid Gir cow said that pure desi breed costs him more. "Dogali is cheaper than original Gir. Moreover it gives only 10 to 15 litres a day while mix breed gave him over 35 litres a day which he could sell and earn profit."
The religious fraternity has expressed concern over the rising mix breeds demand in the country while the pure-breeds like indigenous Gir have been relegated to the background. Talking to The Pioneer, Swami Sharad Puri of Juna Akhada said, “We must not tamper with the original breed of the cow. That is against the law of nature. Do experiments if you wish but save the original breed.” He said that in the ancient scriptures cow’s milk is called Amrit. The big dairy farmers are now preferring hybrid cows which is not good. “The Gujarati Gir variety of cows is known for the quality of its milk. The dairy farmers must not give cows artificial feed. If the cows graze on natural grass, they give best quality milk. After the dairy revolution, we are not in crisis so quality must be taken care of rather than quantity of milk produced. Desi cow is the best cow and they don't fall sick, give less trouble to the farmers," he added.
Earlier this year, the Government had floated tenders inviting Brazilian companies to import one lakh frozen semen dozes of progeny tested Gir bulls for artificial insemination. This has brought fears in the minds of cattle breeders in Haridwar. Ishwar Das of Krishnayan Gaushala said, “The government must promote original Gir variety and other desi breeds of cows. There is no point in importing Brazilian Gir bull semen to spoil our cow progeny. Ours is the biggest gaushala in the region and we got all cows from Haryana and Gujarat.
The Indian government must encourage original Gir and not Brazilian Gir.”
In a letter written to the National Livestock Mission, Government of India, Acharya Ghanshyam Vyas of Bhuvaneshwari Peeth has demanded a ban on the import of Brazilian Gir bull semen and conserve the pure-breed Gir cow of Gujarat and increase its progeny.
The ascetic reasons that already many livestock has been affected with this artificial Gir cow semen. Importing one lakh doses of Gir bull semen from Brazil would render the original Gir cow semen produced by Indian cow breeders waste and useless.
He also advised that the Government must also take ample measures to preserve embryos and frozen semen of the pure-breed Gir cow for future generations.
Notably, Gir Kankrej Gopalak Sangh is opposing the Government on this issue. They reason that Brazil has been importing Indian cow breeds to Brazil and the main aim of rearing livestock there is for beef and sell it in export market. The Gir cow was genetically modified by scientists in Brazil to enhance milk yield.
