Kerala cows to reach Badal home next week

KOZHIKODE: Come next week and six cattle belonging to two of the world's smallest breeds- Kerala's own Vechur and Kasaragod Dwarf, will set off on a 3000km long cross-country haul from Kasaragod to Punjab in a cattle swap involving Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal next week.
The destination for the four tiny cows and two bulls in their 12-day trip is the official residence of Punjab chief minister in Chandigarh where they will be reared in the attached farm.
In return the chief minister has promised six Sahiwal breed of cattle indigenous to Punjab which will be sent back to the farm of Kasaragod Dwarf Conservation Society (KDCS) at Nagacheri farm near Neeleshwaram.
The stage for the high profile cattle exchange was set during the Indo-Pak interactive seminar on conservation of indigenous livestock breeds held at Punjab Bhavan in Chandigarh on July 10 which was attended by P K Lal, director of Kasaragod Dwarf Conservation Society.
Following the presentation on Vechur and Kasaragod Dwarf varieties, P K Lal was invited to the official bungalow of the CM where Badal personally expressed his keenness to get two pairs of the indigenous breeds from Kerala.
"The chief minister is a keen cattle enthusiast and there are around 30 indigenous cattle breeds in his farm attached to the official residence. He had heard about the dwarf cattle varieties of Kerala and requested us if we could give him pairs of each breed which we agreed to," P K Lal said. As part of the initiative, the chief minister also issued directions to have six Sahiwal cows sent to Kerala in return.
The KDCS has been spearheading the conservation of native cattle breeds in Kerala has 30 indigenous breeds in its farm. They feel that the cattle exchange will help raise awareness about the need to protect domestic breeds of the country.
"We are planning to organise a grand function to mark the send-off for the cattle when they embark on their journey to Punjab next week. It will help promote protection of domestic breeds among farmers. The Sahiwal breed of cows from Punjab are known to produce over 25 litres of milk and are high yielding even in dry conditions of Punjab where temperature touch 45 degree Celsius. We would like to find out how well they fare in Kerala conditions," P K Lal said.
He said that the Kasaragod dwarf breed is known for its high tolerance to adverse climate and is extremely docile. The Kasaragod dwarf cow has an average height of only around 85- 95 cm tall while the bulls attain a height of around one metre. The cows give milk from 1- 4 litres per day which is valued for its high nutritional and medicinal properties. Lal said that efforts are on to get the breed included as a native cattle breed by the National Bureau for Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) and they hope that the formalities could be completed within one year. Reply Forward