India Gets Its First Cloned Gir Female Calf, Named Ganga

The Karnal-based National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) has cloned, for the first ever in India, a female calf of the desi breed Gir that was capable of producing over 15 litres of milk per day.

India's first cloned Gir female calf is named Ganga. She was born on 16 March weighing 32 kilograms (kg) and is said to be growing well, said NDRI.

This development is part of the government's push to increase milk production.

NDRI, the country's premier dairy research institute, has been working on a project to clone indigenous high-yield cow breeds such as Gir and Sahiwal since 2021.

The method of cloning is also indigenous, behind which lie a large team of scientists. It's taken over two years for them to arrive at this method to produce cloned cattle.

Gir, Sahiwal, Tharparkar, and Red Sindhi are among the Indian cattle breeds that are crucial for the Indian dairy industry's growth as well as milk production.

NDRI and the Dehradun-based Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board launched the cloning programme together.

NDRI director Dr Dheer Singh noted Gir cattle to be strong and immune to stress and diseases commonly found in tropical regions.

They are said to have been exported previously to Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela for the development of zebu cows.