Liquid Nitrogen
- The introduction of frozen semen (FS) for AI has made the dissemination of genetic material faster, easier and efficient.
- Timely availability of LN is one of the pre-requisites for the success of an AI programme and its availability at a reasonable price must be ensured.
- Almost all the AI programmes in India started with their own LN plants to meet the demand.
- An alternative would be to depend on industrial sources like fertilizer and gas manufacturing companies.
- Both the systems have their own merits and demerits.
- Considering the periodic hike in electricity charges and the cost of spares/services, in increasing labour cost, etc the Board has fixed up annual contracts with industrial sources in the neighbouring adjoining states for the supply of the material since last few years and in house production is dispensed with.
Liquid Nitrogen Storage and Transport
- The Board started off with small LN storage transport containers – LD 25 from M/s Union Carbide.
- Later, the TA 26 series containers from IBP Co. were used for LN transport. The major problems with these containers are that they are very heavy when filled with LN and cannot be handled by a person on his own.
- Their failure and evaporation rates are also high and space occupied is more when compared with that of horizontal tankers.
- These containers are also not suited for multi-day supply schedules wherein more than 500 lts. of LN have to be carried at a time.
- Upon switching over from the single day schedule, to the 3 day circular supply schedule, it was noted that the horizontal tankers with a capacity of 500 lt were very useful.
- Although several makes and models were tried, initially the HL series of MVE (HL 100G) gave the best results. Later HLP series tankers were introduced and were being used continuously ever since, with satisfactory results.
- The damages sustained by tankers to HLP500 on transit being very high and considering the cost of replacement involved, the Board introduced TA55 container with automatic LN dispensers for transport of LN to field units as a trial to study the economics and operational convenience in comparison with the distribution system using tankers.
- This system has now proved to be more efficient and with lesser damages.
- The refilling of LN in all the AI centres run by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Milk Co-operative etc. is being carried out by the Board.
- LN is supplied at the door step of the AI centres using mini trucks, hired through an annual contract.
- The supply schedule for each calendar year is prepared one year in advance and communicated to each AI centres so that the transactions could be smooth and uninterrupted.
Semen sale
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- The RSBs collect the semen doses from the bull stations after quality check as per requirements from time to time.
- The bulls used for the AI programme in the state are grouped into 3 families.
- Related bulls are kept under the same group and when new bulls are added, they are enrolled under the concerned bull families. (predetermined by their parentage) .
- The state is divided into 3 breeding zones for the purpose of bull rotation and one group of bulls is employed under a zone for a period of 3 years and then allotted to next.
- The bull allotment programme is printed and provided to all AIC’s in the state .
- It could be seen that the procedure helps in the distribution of the genetic materials more or less in an uniform pattern throughout the state, thereby minimizing the chances of
- The semen doses are utilized mainly by the Department of Animal Husbandry.
The Board regularly maintains a buffer stock of frozen semen to meet the requirements for a period of six months so that any emerging exigency could be met with. Apart from the sale of frozen semen within the state, the Board has also been selling frozen semen to agencies outside the state.
Frozen semen sale within state
| Year | Cattle | Buffalo | Total |
| 2013-14 | 1709331 | 21595 | 1730926 |
| 2014-15 | 1734253 | 20287 | 1754540 |
| 2015-16 | 1747397 | 18075 | 1765472 |
| 2016-17 | 1647363 | 14725 | 1662088 |
| 2017-2018 | 1429242 | 12013 | 1441255 |