National Livestock Mission: Establishment of State Semen Bank

What is the Establishment of State Semen Bank component?

Establishment of State Semen Bank is a component of the National Livestock Mission (NLM), run by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The National Livestock Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme, in operation since 2014-15 and restructured from 2021-22, that supports breed improvement, entrepreneurship and feed-and-fodder development across livestock. This particular component targets the sheep and goat breeding chain.

According to the NLM breed-development material, the component provides a one-time assistance of up to Rs 10 lakh to a state or union territory to strengthen an existing cattle and buffalo semen bank so that it can also store and distribute goat frozen semen. The assistance is 100% funded by the Central Government for all states and UTs. By reusing the cryogenic infrastructure already built for cattle and buffalo, states can make quality goat germplasm available for artificial insemination without building a new facility.

Key features

• One-time central assistance of up to Rs 10 lakh per state.
• 100% central funding for all states and union territories.
• Money is used to buy cryo-containers and related equipment.
• The goal is better distribution of goat frozen semen for breed improvement.

Who is eligible for the semen bank assistance?

Who can apply / implement:

• State animal husbandry / veterinary departments.
• State livestock development agencies and boards that run or oversee semen banks.

The applicant state must have an existing cattle and buffalo semen bank to strengthen, since the assistance is meant to add goat-semen storage and distribution capacity to that facility.

Who cannot apply / is not eligible:

• Individual farmers, goat breeders, SHGs or private companies cannot apply for this component. There is no citizen application.
• Entrepreneurs setting up a private livestock enterprise should look at the National Livestock Mission's entrepreneurship components instead, which are bank-linked individual subsidies.

Farmers benefit indirectly: once a state semen bank can store goat frozen semen, farmers get better access to quality germplasm through the state's artificial insemination services.

What can the assistance be used for?

The one-time assistance is meant for capital equipment, including:

How to apply for the semen bank assistance

Because this is a state-level benefit, the "application" is an official proposal:

1. The state animal husbandry department identifies an existing cattle and buffalo semen bank to be upgraded for goat frozen semen.
2. It prepares a proposal / project report listing the cryo-containers and related equipment to be procured within the Rs 10 lakh ceiling.
3. The proposal is submitted to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the National Livestock Mission.
4. On approval, the 100% central assistance is released to the state, which procures the equipment and begins storing and distributing goat frozen semen.

Farmers who want to use quality goat semen for artificial insemination should contact their local veterinary or animal husbandry office once the state bank is operational.

How this fits within the National Livestock Mission

The National Livestock Mission runs several breed-development components that are easy to confuse:

• Establishment of State Semen Bank (this guide), up to Rs 10 lakh, 100% central, to add goat-semen capacity to a state's existing semen bank.
• Import of Exotic Pig Germplasm — funds states to import superior pig germplasm; cost-shared with states.
• Promotion of Piggery Entrepreneur, a 50% capital subsidy up to Rs 30 lakh to individuals and entities for a commercial pig breeder farm.

Only the entrepreneurship component is a benefit an individual applies for directly; the semen bank and germplasm components are state activities that improve the breeding base.

Help and where to check

• Portal: dahd.gov.in (National Livestock Mission guidelines and orders)
• State nodal agency: your state Animal Husbandry / Livestock Development department is the implementing body
• Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, New Delhi, administers the National Livestock Mission

No individual should pay an agent for a "semen bank subsidy", the assistance is released only to state governments.