Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To eliminate nondescript cattle breeds, the Cow Conservation Board has identified around 35,000 male calves in Gau Shalas across the state for castration. Of these, castration of nearly 17,500 calves has already been completed.
An official at the board said there are 3,127 Gau Shalas in the state and of them 3036 are operational, housing around 4.80 lakh cattle.
The castration of identified male calves of non-descript breed started in October. The male calf below one year is most suitable for the procedure.
To further improve breed quality, gau shala owners are being encouraged to go for artificial insemination of cows. Male bull of high breed is also being provided to Gau Shalas to ensure that the next generation of cows is of a high-yielding variety.
Sources said permission for opening new gau shalas is granted on the condition of castration of male bovine offspring and adoption of artificial or sex-sorted insemination for breed improvement.
Notably, Gujarat, despite having nearly half the cattle population of Madhya Pradesh, records higher milk production due to superior cow breeds. Madhya Pradesh currently has around 1.52 crore cows.
