To increase the productivity of its indigenous petite Badri cow that grazes on the medicinal herbs of the Himalayas, Uttarakhand is now planning for its genetic enhancement.

Badri Cow

• Badri/Pahari desi cow is a native cow species of Uttarakhand.
• This cow grazes in the Himalayas on native herbs and shrubs and hence its milk has high medicinal value.
• These cattle are well adapted to the hilly terrain and the climatic conditions of Uttarakhand.
• This sturdy and disease-resistant breed is found in hilly regions of the Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand.
• Disease resistance is a very important characteristic of this breed as it rarely gets any disease.

Medicinal benefits

• This breed is blessed with strong immunity.
• The milk of the Badri cow contains almost 90% A2 beta-casein proteins – and is one of the highest in any indigenous varieties.
• Antioxidants in pure desi ghee help the body better absorb vitamins and minerals, thus boosting immunity.
• Butyric acid in Badri cow ghee helps strengthen immunity by increasing T-cell production in the gut which helps fight against allergens.

Why in news?

• The State authorities proposed to use sex-sorted semen technology to improve production of Badri cattle.
• They also proposed to opt for the embryo transfer method in order to produce more cattle of high genetic stock.

Economic significance of Badri cow

• The Badri ghee is available at the rate of ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 per kg.
• There is a huge marketing potential for gaumutra ark (distilled cow urine), cow dung, and Panchgavya (the five products of the cow, including milk, curd, ghee, dung and urine).

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