Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram): A major breakthrough in dairy development in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has seen the birth of the first three female calves through Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT), raising hopes of significantly improving local cattle productivity and reducing the Islands’ dependence on outside milk supplies.
The calves — ‘Shri’, born on November 1 at Kamraj Nagar, ‘Navya’ at Manglutan and ‘Sasi’ at Port Mout — were delivered normally and are reported to be healthy. The achievement marks the first successful application of advanced embryo transfer technology under island conditions, following the launch of the programme in February 2026 by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services (AH&VS) in collaboration with NDDB Dairy Services.
Implemented under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, the initiative aims to establish 220 high-genetic-merit cattle pregnancies over two years through the transfer of embryos produced using in-vitro techniques. The resulting cattle are expected to have the potential to yield an average of 15 litres of milk daily.
The technology represents a significant acceleration over conventional crossbreeding through artificial insemination, which generally takes three to four generations, or 10–12 years, to improve the genetic potential of local cattle. ETT is expected to bring down this period to just three to four years, paving the way for a higher-yielding dairy herd.
Since the programme began, five phases involving 112 embryo transfers have been completed. Pregnancy has been confirmed in 29 recipient animals, while another 34 are awaiting confirmation. The Department expects the high-yielding progeny to gradually strengthen the local dairy population and improve the availability of fresh milk across the Islands.
It has congratulated the beneficiary farmers and veterinary teams behind the successful embryo implantation, monitoring and calving, while urging more livestock farmers to avail themselves of the advanced breeding facility through their nearest veterinary institutions. The programme is expected to be extended to more areas in the coming phases, marking an important step towards improving dairy productivity and strengthening the Islands’ livestock sector.
