Mohammad Masud Majumdar:
Calling on the need of the country, not just for profit, Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhtar said, “We do not need modern breeds in exchange for losing indigenous breeds of cattle. We have to work towards protecting indigenous breeds so that we can produce milk and meat.”
The advisor made these remarks in his speech as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Local Cattle Germplasm Improvement: Challenges and Way Forward” at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh in the capital on Tuesday morning, May 13.
The Livestock Advisor said that it is not true that indigenous breeds of cattle are being lost. In the name of improved breeds, various foreign breeds have been brought. It has been said that there is no way except Friesian and Crossbite – this is basically a questionable thing. We have to prevent the loss of indigenous cows. To prevent this, we can take a roadmap, which is very important. We are bringing in various foreign breeds, which is not sustainable. We are spending a lot of time and effort behind it, but it is not sustainable.
Stating that the naming of the ministry will be beneficial if we can preserve indigenous cattle breeds, the advisor said, those who promoted foreign breeds; they have spoken negatively about indigenous cattle breeds. Now they say, farmers do not understand anything. If we can preserve indigenous breeds, naming livestock will be beneficial. Semen (seeds) has now reached the level of business, which is very sad.
He also said, the people of one region of the country are not similar to those of another region; even the way they eat and drink is not similar. We humans are divided into zones. So animals are also God’s creation. We must take a project to preserve indigenous cattle breeds based on zones. Why don’t we give incentives to raise local breeds? If this facility is given to raise local breeds, farmers will definitely raise local breeds.
Experts participating in the seminar said that we should consider the genetic diversity of local cattle as a gene bank or genetic resource. These genetic characteristics work in the development of future cattle. They also said that an integrated breeding strategy is needed to keep cattle that are especially heat-tolerant, have high disease resistance, and tend to give birth every year productive. Where conservation and development of local breeds will help in developing breeds suitable for scientific breeding.
Organized by the Department of Livestock, Artificial Reproduction Division, Director General of the Department Dr. Md. Abu Sufian, Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Professor Dr. AK Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Nilufa Akhter, Director General of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute Shakila Faruk. In this, the main article was discussed by the Director (Administration) of the Department of Livestock Dr. Md. Boyzar Rahman. The welcome speech was given by the Director of the Department of Artificial Insemination, Krishibid Md. Shahzaman Khan, and the main article was presented by the Deputy Director of the Department of Artificial Insemination Dr. Md. Shafiqur Rahman. Senior officials of the ministry and the department were present at the seminar.
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