Govt working to make JK self reliant in mutton production: Dulloo

Srinagar, Sep 6: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo Thursday inaugurated indigenous production of vaccines for sheep diseases and embryo transfer technology here at Disease Investigation Laboratory (DIL) Nowshera.
Director Sheep Husbandry Kashmir, Director Research SKUAST-K, Ex Director Education SKUAST-K, Heads of Departments, faculty members, senior scientists and others were also present on the occasion.
Dulloo inaugurated indigenous production of Food Rot Vaccine, Sheep Pox Vaccine and introduction of Embryo Transfer Technology in Small Ruminants.
The ACS termed the launching of vaccines and embryo transfer technology as proud moment for Sheep Husbandry Department and congratulated the faculty, scientists of the Department and SKUAST-K due to which we are able to succeed in the SKUAST-K of these vaccines and also helped in providing technical know how in Embryo Transfer Technology.
He said these vaccines will help the sheep farmers in great extend by reducing economic losses to their livestock.
Dulloo observed that J&K is importing around 60 percent of mutton from outside and there is scope, opportunity and challenge as well for which we have to formulate certain strategy which will help pur Sheep rearers.
“We have to develop a strategy and we are working on it. We are actively working on how to reduce the mutton gap in next five years and make J&K self reliant in mutton production,” he said.
He said that embryo transfer technology will prove a game changer as the population of sheep will increase and quality mutton will also be better as compared what we have today.
Also, the ACS also inspected several laboratories of DIL which include Bacteriology Lab, Viral Diagnostic Lab, Cell Culture Lab, Foot Rot and Sheep Pox Labs.
He also interacted with the scientist and faculty of these labs and enquired about the status of their research in their respective fields.