Rs 40-lakh-a-year hurrah for owner of this Murrah!

A Haryana-based dairy farmer earns over Rs 40 lakh from the sale of his bull's semen every year. Kurukshetra-based Karamvir Singh's Murrah-breed bull, named 'Yuvraj', has proven to be a cash cow for him as the bull's semen is in great demand across north India.

A Haryana-based dairy farmer earns over Rs 40 lakh from the sale of his bull's semen every year.

Kurukshetra-based Karamvir Singh's Murrah-breed bull, named 'Yuvraj', has proven to be a cash cow for him as the bull's semen is in great demand across north India.

"Our earning from selling semen of bull is over Rs 40 lakh per annum as there is a great demand for semen of our five-and-half-year-old Murrah-breed bull in several states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan," said Karamvir, who had brought his 'Yuvraj' to the ongoing Punjab agriculture summit here at Chapparchiri.

"We are selling each dose of semen at a rate of Rs 300," he said, adding that around 15,000-20,000 doses of semen are sold every year.

"Why farmers prefer to buy Murrah semen is because Murrah buffaloes are capable of giving 4,000 litres of milk per lactation as against the 2,000-2,200 litres of milk given by a mixed breed buffaloes," dairy expert at Punjab State Farmers Commission, Anil Kaura said.

Murrah breed traditionally belongs to Rohtak in Haryana, he said.

As another high-yielding breed, 'Nili Ravi' buffaloes could be found only in Pakistan now, farmers are going for Murrah buffaloes to enhance milk output, he said.

Yuvraj's mother also used to give 26.5 kl of milk per day, Karamvir claimed.