Tanahun farmers encouraged rear calves to reduce import of buffaloes and cows from India

By Amarraj Naharki,Tanahun, Dec. 13:Farmers in Tanahun are being encouraged to rear calves of cows and buffaloes to reduce the import of advanced breeds of buffaloes and cows from India.

The Veterinary Hospital and Animal Husbandry Research Centre is going to provide subsidies to the farmers to rear the calves with the help of the Gandaki Province government. 

The head of the centre, Dr. Rajesh Kumar Chaudhary, informed that the funds have been allocated for rearing seven calves of advanced breeds such as Murra in buffaloes and Holstein and Jersey in cows per farmer.

He said that since large numbers of buffaloes and cows of the advanced breed are being imported from India, a subsidy has been arranged to help replace the imports. “Since artificial insemination is done only for advanced breeds, subsidies have been arranged for rearing calves of the advanced breeds,” said Chaudhary.

“The provincial government has introduced the programme to make the district self-sufficient in milk and meat and to end the compulsion to bring buffaloes and cows from India,” Chaudhary added.

The animal health technician of the centre, Rudrasingh Thakuri, said that the farmers would get a subsidy after registering the birth of calves. “The farmers will receive Rs.10,000 for rearing each calf. A total of Rs.7 million has been allotted to the centre for the programme,” Thakuri added.

It is believed that after receiving the subsidy, the farmers will breed their cattle, rear calves and help remove dependency in the long run.  Chaudhary said that because it is more beneficial for the farmers to sell milk than to raise the calves, most of the farmers kill them without giving them milk.

The programme is going to be launched with a long-term plan to prevent the shortage of buffaloes and jersey cows in Nepal. The centre believes that by getting the incentive money, the farmers will be able to financially take care of calves. 

According to the centre, Tanahun has become self-sufficient in eggs and milk and has been exporting them to other districts as well. Recently, as Tanahun has become self-reliant on meat, animal husbandries have been encouraged to produce meat and supply it to other districts.