By 2004, Nepal had imported a cumulative 230,000 doses of ox semen and 53,000 doses of bull semen from New Zealand, Germany, Finland, US and India.
During the past three years, Nepal has been producing over 100,000 doses of semen within the country. This year, Nepal is expected to produce 150,000 doses, according to chief of National Animal Breeding Centre Dr Amar Bahadur Shah. The average annual demand is 110,000 doses, Shah says.
The artificial insemination facility is available in over 45 districts through 205 AI centres including 34 private AI centres and 400 technicians. The demand for AI is high as hybrid animals born out of the cross between local and exotic breeds yield more milk. Rupandehi leads in artificial insemination as 12,000 animals underwent artificial insemination in the district in the last fiscal year. Kathmandu, Morang, Chitwan, Jhapa and Sunsari follow Rupandehi, says technician Shashi Adhikari.
The production of one dose of semen that costs Rs 11-15 in India is over Rs 20 in Nepal. Farmers are charged Rs 25 per dose. If preserved in liquid nitrogen, the semen can be protected for several years and can be reactivated by dipping it in water with 37 degree Celsius temperature for 15-55 seconds.
An ox can produce 3 ml and a bull 5 ml semen at one time. For fertilization, over 25 million spermatozoa are required even if it is only one sperm cell that finally fertilizes the egg.
A bull can fertilize 150 buffaloes in a year and 4,000 in its lifetime. An ox can, however, father 100,000 calves in its lifetime. AI of buffalo was started in Nepal 31 years ago.
The National Animal Breeding Centre has raised seven bulls and 10 oxen for semen production. All bulls and oxen are the best one selected from all government and private firms across the country. It costs Rs 70,000 annually for the centre to raise each of the bulls and oxen. An ox produces 22,000 doses of semen and a bull produces 5,000 doses every year. The centre generates Rs 3.7 million revenue from AI service, says livestock development officer Shiv Nath Mahato.
Though commercial farmers prefer artificial insemination, others are yet to understand the value of AI, says Mahato.
AI is common in cows than in buffaloes. In previous fiscal year, among 87,441 artificially inseminated cattle, only 15,844 were buffaloes. Last year, 16,156 were buffaloes among 86,649 cattle, which were artificially inseminated.
In natural mating, the chances of conception are around 80 per cent in cows and 54 percent in buffaloes. In AI, however, the chances of conception are only 50 and 46 percent in cows and buffaloes, respectively.
Among all buffaloes undergoing AI, 43 per cent are local breeds and the rest are Murrah breed. In cow, 12 per cent are local breeds and the rest are improved breeds.
A breed improvement pilot project is also operational in several districts for the last seven months with the support from FAO. The project aims at selecting best stock of male animals for semen production so that the centre could produce still better quality of semen of still better breeds. The 1.5-year project is worth $400,000.
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