Latest news with #ICAR-NDRI
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
In a first: Calf produced using cloned Gir cow's eggs say NDRI experts
In a major breakthrough in Indian animal biotechnology, the ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, has successfully produced a Gir calf using ovum pick-up and in vitro fertilisation (OPU-IVF) from oocytes (developing eggs) retrieved from a cloned Gir cow — a first-of-its-kind achievement in the country, experts at the institute said. The calf, born to a Sahiwal surrogate, was created from oocytes aspirated from 'Ganga', India's first cloned Gir cow. (HT Photo) The institute stated that this success highlights NDRI's leadership in cattle reproduction innovation. The entire process, which usually takes five to seven years through traditional breeding, was accomplished in just 39 months. The calf, born to a Sahiwal surrogate, was created from oocytes aspirated from 'Ganga', India's first cloned Gir cow, and fertilised with semen from a genetically superior Gir bull, according to NDRI scientists. The research team responsible for the milestone includes Manoj Kumar Singh, Ranjeet Verma, Kartikey Patel, Priyanka Singh, Nitin Tyagi and Naresh Selokar. 'Ganga' was born on March 16, 2023, through handmade cloning technology developed in-house by NDRI scientists. She matured normally and attained puberty by 18 months. At that stage, her oocytes were collected using OPU — a non-surgical, ultrasound-guided method — matured in vitro, and fertilised to generate embryos. Announcing the development on Monday, ICAR-NDRI director and vice-chancellor Dheer Singh called it a significant step toward self-reliance in dairy genetics. 'This achievement marks a revolutionary leap in improving indigenous cattle breeds. It enables faster multiplication of elite germplasm and brings science-backed prosperity to farmers,' he said. He added that the newborn Gir calf — yet to be named — is the second-generation offspring of the original elite donor and Ganga. 'The fact that this was achieved in just 39 months underscores the transformative potential of combining cloning and IVF for livestock development,' Singh said. Despite India having over 145 million female cattle and leading global milk production, challenges remain due to low per-animal productivity, Singh noted. He emphasised that integrating cloning with OPU-IVF could rapidly multiply elite indigenous animals, conserve valuable genetic resources, and address future needs for milk and high-quality breeding bulls. Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) vice chancellor MS Chauhan also hailed the development. He said such technologies are crucial for building a genetically superior and productive dairy herd. NDRI scientists said that OPU-IVF enables significant improvements in dairy productivity by allowing non-invasive and repeatable oocyte collection, even from young, infertile, or early pregnant donors. The process yields more embryos per donor and supports the production of elite bulls, helping to address shortages in artificial insemination (AI) semen supply. NDRI has a strong track record in indigenous cattle research. In 2012, the institute produced the country's first OPU-IVF Sahiwal calf, named 'Holi'.
Hindustan Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
NDRI develops easy to digest goat milk cheese, trays using apricot kernels from Ladakh
ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal has introduced easily digestible goat milk cottage cheese, joha rice-based kheer and prepared biodegradable trays using apricot kernel. The newly developed products by the dairy institute were introduced before the students, public and the media during an event organised at the campus to mark World Milk Day on Sunday. Officials said that the programme titled as 'Let's Celebrate the Power of Dairy', was chaired by ICAR-ATARI, Jodhpur director JP Mishra and also attended by ICAR-NDRI director and vice-chancellor Dheer Singh and joint director (academics) AK Singh, joint director (research) Rajan Sharma and others. Sharing details about the products, the director said that non-bovine milk is a niche area in which NDRI has been working for the last several years. 'NDRI has developed various value-added products from goat and camel milk. Products like goat milk cottage cheese, which is easily digestible and possesses antioxidant and antibacterial properties, has been developed along with joha rice-based kheer,' he said. Joha rice, Singh said, is an aromatic rice cultivated in Assam and is known for its low glycaemic index and rich in several antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolics. The milk products, NDRI scientists said, will be available at the milk parlour after the formalities are completed in the next two months. The director further said that the institute scientists have also prepared biodegradable trays using apricot kernels, which is considered 100% waste. 'Apricot kernel based biodegradable packaging can be used for the packaging of dairy products such as sweets. The NDRI is also supporting prospective entrepreneurs by nurturing their ideas,' he added. Scientists said that they have started exploring using these trays made of apricot kernel from the Ladakh region, to replace plastic-based trays used in pinni packs. About the milk productivity and its economies, Singh said that Indian dairy sector involves about 450 million small and marginal farmers and the contribution of dairy and animal husbandry sector to India's GDP is 4.5% and the contribution of dairy sector to agriculture sector is 24%, which is valued around ₹10 Lakh crore and it is highest in the world. He further emphasised that ICAR-NDRI supported the nation's white revolution by producing quality germ plasm, elite breeds, skilled manpower and valuable insights and timely inputs. 'Due to these collective efforts, India has been reigning as the largest milk producer of the World since 1998. Currently, the annual milk production in India is 239 million metric tonnes (MMT) and per capita milk availability is 471 gallons per day. The per capita availability of milk in India is higher than the world's average per capita availability i.e. 322 gallons per day,' he added.
