Landmark Breakthrough: Bandipora achieves Frozen Semen storage for goats

Bandipora, Oct 2: In a landmark achievement for livestock breeding, Bandipora in J&K has become the first district in North India, after Uttar Pradesh, to successfully store frozen semen for use in goats.

Director of Sheep Husbandry Kashmir, Dr Rafiq Ahmad Shah, said the breakthrough will pave the way for modernised goat rearing in Jammu and Kashmir, where demand for both mutton and milk is steadily rising.

For the past two to three years, the department has been carrying out artificial insemination in goats in Bandipora using fresh semen. While effective, this method required immediate use of semen, limiting the scale of breeding programs.

“That barrier has now been crossed in Bandipora,” Dr Shah said during his visit on Thursday. “I would like to congratulate the Chief Husbandry District Officer, the SDO, and the veterinarians here. They have started a frozen semen program. After two months, I saw slides showing moving sperm. This means frozen semen storage has been successful for the first time in North India after Uttar Pradesh.”

Dr Shah explained that frozen semen technology allows semen to be stored, transported, and used for breeding on demand, without the need to maintain bucks in the field—an expense many small farmers cannot afford. “Earlier, people struggled to maintain rams due to high costs. Now, artificial insemination using frozen semen offers a cost-effective and scientific solution,” he said.

The development coincides with the construction of a state-of-the-art goat farm in Bandipora under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The farm will serve as an experimental hub, introducing mechanised milking and advanced breeding practices. Swiss Alpine goats, capable of producing three to four kilograms of milk per day, will be imported, quarantined, acclimatised, and later distributed to local farmers.

“The center will lead in providing new goat breeds for people of J&K,” Dr Shah said, highlighting the commercial and nutritional potential of goat milk, which is prized for its medicinal value. “In Delhi, goat milk sells for as much as Rs 1,500 a litre. Even in Anantnag, it is sold for around Rs 200 a litre. Children who do not take cow’s milk often accept goat’s milk, which carries numerous health benefits.”

The Sheep Husbandry Department is also working in Gurez to revive the traditional wool sector and plans to introduce a "broiler pattern" in the mutton sector next year to meet the growing demand for quality livestock.

“This frozen semen breakthrough is a turning point,” Dr Shah added. “It signals that sheep and goat husbandry can become a primary driver of employment, self-reliance, and economic growth in J&K.”