There are only under 10,000 Alambadi cattle breed and it is imperative to conserve this indigenous breed, Minister for Animal Husbandry Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan said.
He was speaking at the ceremony to lay foundation for Alambadi Cattle Breeding and Research Station at Ballenahalli village in Karimangalam here on Thursday. The research station will be set up at a cost ₹ 4 crore.
According to Mr. Radhakrishnan, there is a need to conserve and restore the symbols of our identity. Alambadi cattle is unique to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri regions.
Similarly, Kangeyam cattle breed research station was set up inat Sathyamangalam in Erode and Pulikulam cattle breed research station was set up at Manamadurai in Sivaganga. According to him, the proposed livestock park in Salem spread over 900 acres will have specialised centre for indigenous livestock varieties.
In a bid to conserve indigenous cattle breed and encourage farmers to breed them, the State Government jointly with the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University had set up a research centre for Bargur breed in 2015, at a cost of ₹ 6 crore. The Bargur cattle research station has since bagged the National Kamadenu award, Mr.Radhakrishnan said.
The government will set up 75 new veterinary branch clinics in the State, and has issued an order in this regard. As a start, five veterinary branch clinics were inaugurated in Kannipatty, Kondenahalli, Irumathur, Periyapatty, and Mottanguruchi villages in Dharmapuri. “Over 25,000 livestock will benefit from them,” the Minister said .
According to the Minister, between 2011 and 2019, 2,037 veterinary medical centres were built at a cost of ₹614 crore and 1,383 buildings were renovated at a cost of ₹ 95 crore.
