India imports bull semen from Brazil to raise milk production

India has imported 40,000 doses of bull semen from Brazil for the first time to boost milk output via artificial insemination, a top official at the Brazilian embassy said.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which has imported the doses, aims to increase the number of Indian native breeds, Gir and Kankrej, and raise their milk production. NDDB is a government-owned cooperative that owns and operates the Mother Dairy brand.

"The first imports of 40,000 semen doses just took place this month by India's NDDB. It's been a project for a long time. For three to four years, they have been discussing it. Though it was a tough discussion, we managed to solve it and now import has taken place," said Angelo de Queiroz Mauricio, agricultural attaché at Brazil's embassy in New Delhi. It is unclear if India would import more doses in future.

The development comes at a time when the government is targeting to produce 330 million tonnes (mt) of milk per annum by FY34. India produced 230.6 mt of milk in FY23, a 3.8% increase from a year ago and a 22.8% rise from FY19, according to an Indian government statement.