After the Savar in Dhaka, the second largest artificial insemination laboratory of the country has been launched at Rajabarihat under Godagari upazila of the district aims at improving cattle varieties and to fulfill the region’s increasing demands for protein.Constructed at a cost of around Taka 4.43 crore the laboratory from now on will produce liquid nitrogen and it is very essential to preserve frozen semen and thereby the artificial insemination activities would be expedited throughout the country’s northwest region.The initiative has been taken to preserve high quality semen from cattle after importing the specimens from abroad.According to the officials concerned, the laboratory was constructed under a five-year project titled “Artificial Insemination Activities Extension and Embryo Transfer Technology Implementation” being executed by the Department of Animal Resources.In addition to a two-storied office building, construction of four calf and bull sheds and one isolation shed was completed on a partial land of 50-acre Divisional Fodder Farming center.ATM Fazlul Kader Mallik, Assistant Director (Animal Production) of Department of Animal Resources, told BSS that the newly established laboratory has scope of keeping at least 80 bulls on an average for production of quality semen.The project has also provision to produce high-yielding and nutritive fodder for the bulls on farming field beside the laboratory.He said artificial insemination has a vital role to play in expansion of the cattle breeding and the program could be expanded successfully if all the villages are brought under the coverage.“We will impart training to some 1,000 volunteers and construct Travis in 1,000 Union Parishads along with providing necessary other instruments and furniture under the project,” he said adding that the project has given importance on intensifying the field level artificial activities.The technology helps increasing milk production by one kg from every cow on an average for the last couple of years.Mohir Uddin, Divisional Deputy Director of Department of Animal Resources, said the artificial insemination is now being adjudged as proven technology and the genetic development of the livestock animal could be ensured through adequate promotion of the technology.“We have around 20,000 registered dairy farms in eight districts of the division besides many other non-registered ones,” he said.Production of both milk and meat would be enhanced when the laboratory will go into operation in large scale.In addition to the departmental officials and others concerned, students of Veterinary and Livestock Department of Rajshahi University and many other veterinary colleges can avail the scopes of research and learning in the laboratory.“We will try to ensure improved varieties of cattle for every family in the region as per the demand through proper functioning of the laboratory. As a result, they will get adequate animal proteins and we will have a meritorious new generation,” he added. –BSS, Rajshahi
