Twinning sheep -A Boon to shepherds in India.

NARI- SUVARNA SHEEP, A BRIEF INTRODUCTION > India has a high potential in the sheep industry and also a very diverse genetic resources through which , if scientifically bred the production in sheep industry can be enhanced , Indian shepherds have from long been breeding the sheep for various traits and also without much genetic improvements ,as the approach and attention has always been on improving the quality and quantity of wool , to have Superior much heavier breeds and on producing better tasting meat, A fact that is only know to a few is that sheep can also give birth to twins , triplets & yes sometimes quadruplets, -and that's because of a gene The Booroola gene now known as - The B-Fec gene . ( the same gene that was instrumental in the explosive growth of the Australian sheep industry in the 19th cenctury,probably originated in an Indian breed known until then as Bengal sheep This gene is found in the the small sheep breed of the Bengal region the Garole. Mr.B.V.Nimbkar, Founder and founding President of Nimbkar Agricultural research Institute (NARI)- Maharashtra, a pioneer of modern agricultural techniques in India in the 90's established the Animal Husbandry Division of NARI , with a view to finding ways to improve the efficiency of small ruminants ,has extensively studied the breeds of sheep in India and sheep breeds of the world. the AHD of NARI became operational in 1990 and its dexterous research and hardwork resulted is the NARI-SUVARNA sheep , known for its prolificacy and better average adult weight ,better motherability, higher average birth weights , higher milk yields ,faster weaning and higher weights at slaughter/marketing than its ancestor the Garole and the the Deccani Dr.Chanda Nimbkar , who now heads the AHD of NARI is also working on the genetic improvement of the breed for other different traits that can benefit the Socio-Economic status of the shepherding community of Maharashtra in particular and soon plans to extend the benefits of this superior breed to other parts of the country.

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