Addis ababa: In its effort to boost milk and meat production and productivity, the Livestock Development Institute is working hard on hybridization of cattle, the director-general said.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the Livestock Development Institute has graduated 543 artificial insemination technicians in the current Ethiopian fiscal year, of which 153 graduated today. Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Livestock Development Institute Director-General Asrat Tera said hybridization is contributing significantly to boosting production and productivity of cattle, especially in milk and meat products, in Ethiopia.
A local cow provides 1.5 liters of milk per day, whereas a hybridized one could provide up to 15 liters of milk per day. Therefore, the institute has intensified its effort to boost milk production through the hybridization of various cattle species from home and abroad, Asrat stated. Similarly, meat from hybridized bulls is much better than the local ones.
According to the director-general, the Bounty of the Basket (Yelemat Trufat) Initiative plays a crucial role in boosting milk and meat productivity. With respect to this, the nationwide annual milk production that was about 5 billion liters per year has increased to 12 billion liters per year, following the initiative.
He added that 3.3 million cattle have been hybridized during the past 11 months, and the target is to hybridize 4.9 million by the end of the next Ethiopian New Year. The Livestock Development Institute (LDI) was established with the primary goal of ensuring equitable and environmentally sustainable breed productivity, product quality, and market competitiveness in Ethiopia’s livestock sector.