The Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) is establishing a Centre of Excellence for Advanced Technologies in Bovine Production and Research (ATBPRC) at its Kulathupuzha farm in Kollam, aiming to make Kerala a national hub for indigenous cattle breeding and achieve milk self-sufficiency. The State currently faces an annual milk shortfall of around 5.96 lakh tonnes.
The project, already underway, includes climate-resilient cattle sheds to house 100 elite cows, forming the core of a sophisticated breeding and research ecosystem. KLDB Managing Director R. Rajeev highlighted that the centre will focus on producing female-only calves through indigenous sex-sorting technology developed in collaboration with IISER Thiruvananthapuram. This approach is expected to expand the high-yielding bovine population while reducing the birth of unproductive male calves.
The ATBPRC will also develop cost-effective extenders for deep-frozen semen to support both bovine and caprine breeding programmes. Environmental sustainability is a key focus, with the use of Harit Dhara and Tamarin Plus feed supplements from ICAR, shown to cut enteric methane emissions by up to 20%.
A nucleus farm will host 200 animals, using sex-sorted semen for IVF to produce 1,750 embryos annually. While 300 will remain on-site, 450 will be transferred to farmers via mobile units and 1,000 sold to other States, positioning Kerala as a hub for bovine genetics.
The centre will collaborate with the University of Calgary, Canada, to train over 2,000 technicians and farmers in assisted reproductive technologies and fertility management. Advanced diagnostic services aim to raise the average milk yield of crossbred cows from 10.79 kg to 13.5 kg per day by 2031, boosting productivity and fostering a technology-driven dairy sector in the State.
