The project determines the genetic improvement of the Nigerian herd through techniques like artificial insemination, gene editing and other biotechnologies. The goal is to improve the economic viability and sustainability of small-scale dairy production in Sub-Saharan Africa, using local cattle breeds, which are already adapted to the conditions in the region. Embrapa and the Brazilian Association of Girolando Breeders participate in the work idealized by the United Nations. The expectation is to extend the partnership to technology transfer in pastures, food and management. Dairy farmers in Nigeria, in West Africa, are inseminating cows of the Nigerian breeds Bunaji and Gudali with semen of the man-made Brazilian breed Girolando. That work is part of a partnership with Embrapa, and the goal is to leverage milk production in the country, which averages two liters a day per cow. According to the director of Nigeria’s National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NABDA) Abdullahi Mustapha, with the breeding and genetic improvement of local herds, Nigerian dairy farming can grow daily production to 10 to 15 liters per cow. “We have already started artificially inseminating Nigerian cattle with Girolando semen from Brazil,” Mustapha says. More than 600 cows were inseminated and, according to the Embrapa Dairy Cattle researcher Marcos Vinícius G. B. Silva, 250 F1 (first-generation half-blood) Girolando/Nigerian breed calves have already been born. The initial expectation is to perform 2,000 inseminations in a hundred farms that are part of the project. Oyekanmi Nash, NABDA’s director of genetics, genomics and bioinformatics research, says Nigerian farmers will wait for the new cows to go into production to gradually replace the herd. According to him, at first, the new cows would produce between five and ten liters of milk and would progress without losing the good adaptability of the Nigerian species to local conditions. NABDA’s next step is to perform the genomic analysis of the F1 cows to identify which traits the animals resulting from the crossbreeding inherited from their parents and predict potential milk production of the new cows. FAO and Embrapa in Africa The project “Biotechnologies for Sustainable Dairy production in Africa” was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the presence of Embrapa. The Brazilian Association of Girolando Breeders indirectly participates in the project with information on the bulls’ pedigree and other zootechnical data. Meanwhile Nigeria selects properties, trains inseminators and provides support to obtain and collect data. The project determines the genetic improvement of the Nigerian herd through techniques like artificial insemination, gene editing and other biotechnologies. The goal is to improve the economic viability and sustainability of small-scale dairy production in Sub-Saharan Africa, using local cattle breeds, which are already adapted to the conditions in the region. The partnership should soon be extended to include technology transfer about pastures, food and management. Photo: Marcos Vinícius G.B. Silva Gains for both countries While the project if of major importance for Nigeria, it is also good for Brazil. “In addition to increasing exports of Girolando semen, embryos and animals, we are exporting a cutting-edge technology developed by Brazil: the genomic assessment of the Girolando breed”, the researcher states. Silva also says that the corporation is fulfilling its role, since Africa is one of Embrapa’s priorities when it comes to international cooperation. Actions like this should be expanded to other African and Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has already shown interest in participating in the project, and a similar proposal has already been submitted to the authorities of that country. In addition to exporting semen and technology, another advantage for national animal farming is that a large market for the sale of animals and embryos opens up for Brazilian breeders. A giant in Africa Nigeria has about 210 million inhabitants, and is the most populous country in the African continent and the sixth most populous in the world. The forecast is that by 2050 the country will become one of the world’s 20 largest economies. However, most of the Nigerian population still lives in absolute poverty. Mustapha reports that Nigerian children consume less than 10% of the recommended milk intake. The country imports about US$1.5 billion in dairy products yearly, but Mustapha believes that Nigeria can be a milk exporter to other African countries. “We have a large cattle herd, the capacity to feed it and researchers in a position to make Nigerian breeds more productive”, he affirms. “Many countries have genetically transformed their herds and are producing milk in higher quantity and better quality, and we can also accomplish that,” he concludes. Girolando: the Brazilian revolution for tropical dairy cattle farming The development of the synthetic Girolando breed, resulting from crossing the Gyr and Holstein-Friesian breeds, was defined by Embrapa researcher Rui da Silva Verneque as the “miracle of Brazilian dairy farming”. Holstein-Friesian, the Dutch taurine breed of Bos taurus, has the highest production volume, the result of many centuries of selection. However, because they come from an European temperate climate, the animals are more vulnerable to the heat and tropical diseases. Meanwhile the zebu (Bos indicus) breed Gyr has originated from the tropical regions of India, and is more adapted to heat and endo- and ectoparasites. In order to get the best of the two breeds, in 1989 the then Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply approved the synthetic breed “Girolando”. That aimed to provide Brazil with bovine genetics that are both productive and adapted to tropical conditions, combining the best of the Gyr and Holstein breeds. Less than a decade later, in 1997, in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Girolando Breeders, Embrapa Dairy Cattle created the Girolando Breeding and Genetic Improvement Program (PMGG, from the acronym in Portuguese). PMGG’s goal is to assess animals for milk production and 32 traits of economic importance, incorporating new aspects of assessments, results, technologies and information for breeders every year. After a decade of the Program, in addition to progeny testing, breeders also started to receive information about genotypes, molecular markers, linear score (Girolando Linear Assessment System – SALG) and genetic assessment for the age at first calving, in addition to the genomic assessment of females of the breed. In recent years, the Girolando breed has undergone a revolution. In 2000, the average milk production for the breed in up to 305 days reached 3,683 kg; then in 2023, this indicator rose to 6,930 kg, which represents an increase of approximately 170% in the 22-year period. The number of assessed traits was expanded from only three in 2020 to 33 in 2023, in addition to 12 other indicators and compounds. Another important point refers to the trade of semen in Brazil, which grows every year, and Girolando today is the most expanding breed. In 2023, 825,099 doses of semen were produced, which represents an increase of over 11% from the previous year. According to Silva, due to those and other factors, the Girolando breed has been gaining more and more national and international recognition, hence becoming the preferred breed for milk production in tropical regions. In Brazil, the breed has great acceptance and about 80% of the milk produced in the country comes from Girolando animals, and they are able to maintain a good level of production in different management systems and climate conditions. The breeding and genetic improvement of the breed have made Brazil a world reference in bovine genetics for milk production in tropical regions. Another proof of that lies in the exports of Brazilian bovine genetics. “The size of this market is incalculable, judging by the interest of some countries, which include economic powers like China, in addition to African countries”, the researcher concludes. Photo: Zineb Benchekchou
Photo: Marcos Vinícius G.B. Silva
The project determines the genetic improvement of the Nigerian herd through techniques like artificial insemination, gene editing and other biotechnologies.
Dairy farmers in Nigeria, in West Africa, are inseminating cows of the Nigerian breeds Bunaji and Gudali with semen of the man-made Brazilian breed Girolando. That work is part of a partnership with Embrapa, and the goal is to leverage milk production in the country, which averages two liters a day per cow. According to the director of Nigeria’s National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NABDA) Abdullahi Mustapha, with the breeding and genetic improvement of local herds, Nigerian dairy farming can grow daily production to 10 to 15 liters per cow.
“We have already started artificially inseminating Nigerian cattle with Girolando semen from Brazil,” Mustapha says. More than 600 cows were inseminated and, according to the Embrapa Dairy Cattle researcher Marcos Vinícius G. B. Silva, 250 F1 (first-generation half-blood) Girolando/Nigerian breed calves have already been born. The initial expectation is to perform 2,000 inseminations in a hundred farms that are part of the project.
Oyekanmi Nash, NABDA’s director of genetics, genomics and bioinformatics research, says Nigerian farmers will wait for the new cows to go into production to gradually replace the herd. According to him, at first, the new cows would produce between five and ten liters of milk and would progress without losing the good adaptability of the Nigerian species to local conditions.
NABDA’s next step is to perform the genomic analysis of the F1 cows to identify which traits the animals resulting from the crossbreeding inherited from their parents and predict potential milk production of the new cows.
The project “Biotechnologies for Sustainable Dairy production in Africa” was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the presence of Embrapa. The Brazilian Association of Girolando Breeders indirectly participates in the project with information on the bulls’ pedigree and other zootechnical data. Meanwhile Nigeria selects properties, trains inseminators and provides support to obtain and collect data.
The project determines the genetic improvement of the Nigerian herd through techniques like artificial insemination, gene editing and other biotechnologies. The goal is to improve the economic viability and sustainability of small-scale dairy production in Sub-Saharan Africa, using local cattle breeds, which are already adapted to the conditions in the region. The partnership should soon be extended to include technology transfer about pastures, food and management.
Photo: Marcos Vinícius G.B. Silva
Gains for both countries
While the project if of major importance for Nigeria, it is also good for Brazil. “In addition to increasing exports of Girolando semen, embryos and animals, we are exporting a cutting-edge technology developed by Brazil: the genomic assessment of the Girolando breed”, the researcher states. Silva also says that the corporation is fulfilling its role, since Africa is one of Embrapa’s priorities when it comes to international cooperation.
Actions like this should be expanded to other African and Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has already shown interest in participating in the project, and a similar proposal has already been submitted to the authorities of that country. In addition to exporting semen and technology, another advantage for national animal farming is that a large market for the sale of animals and embryos opens up for Brazilian breeders.
A giant in Africa
Nigeria has about 210 million inhabitants, and is the most populous country in the African continent and the sixth most populous in the world. The forecast is that by 2050 the country will become one of the world’s 20 largest economies. However, most of the Nigerian population still lives in absolute poverty. Mustapha reports that Nigerian children consume less than 10% of the recommended milk intake.
The country imports about US$1.5 billion in dairy products yearly, but Mustapha believes that Nigeria can be a milk exporter to other African countries. “We have a large cattle herd, the capacity to feed it and researchers in a position to make Nigerian breeds more productive”, he affirms. “Many countries have genetically transformed their herds and are producing milk in higher quantity and better quality, and we can also accomplish that,” he concludes.
The development of the synthetic Girolando breed, resulting from crossing the Gyr and Holstein-Friesian breeds, was defined by Embrapa researcher Rui da Silva Verneque as the “miracle of Brazilian dairy farming”. Holstein-Friesian, the Dutch taurine breed of Bos taurus, has the highest production volume, the result of many centuries of selection. However, because they come from an European temperate climate, the animals are more vulnerable to the heat and tropical diseases. Meanwhile the zebu (Bos indicus) breed Gyr has originated from the tropical regions of India, and is more adapted to heat and endo- and ectoparasites.
In order to get the best of the two breeds, in 1989 the then Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply approved the synthetic breed “Girolando”. That aimed to provide Brazil with bovine genetics that are both productive and adapted to tropical conditions, combining the best of the Gyr and Holstein breeds. Less than a decade later, in 1997, in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Girolando Breeders, Embrapa Dairy Cattle created the Girolando Breeding and Genetic Improvement Program (PMGG, from the acronym in Portuguese).
PMGG’s goal is to assess animals for milk production and 32 traits of economic importance, incorporating new aspects of assessments, results, technologies and information for breeders every year. After a decade of the Program, in addition to progeny testing, breeders also started to receive information about genotypes, molecular markers, linear score (Girolando Linear Assessment System – SALG) and genetic assessment for the age at first calving, in addition to the genomic assessment of females of the breed.
In recent years, the Girolando breed has undergone a revolution. In 2000, the average milk production for the breed in up to 305 days reached 3,683 kg; then in 2023, this indicator rose to 6,930 kg, which represents an increase of approximately 170% in the 22-year period. The number of assessed traits was expanded from only three in 2020 to 33 in 2023, in addition to 12 other indicators and compounds.
Another important point refers to the trade of semen in Brazil, which grows every year, and Girolando today is the most expanding breed. In 2023, 825,099 doses of semen were produced, which represents an increase of over 11% from the previous year. According to Silva, due to those and other factors, the Girolando breed has been gaining more and more national and international recognition, hence becoming the preferred breed for milk production in tropical regions. In Brazil, the breed has great acceptance and about 80% of the milk produced in the country comes from Girolando animals, and they are able to maintain a good level of production in different management systems and climate conditions.
The breeding and genetic improvement of the breed have made Brazil a world reference in bovine genetics for milk production in tropical regions. Another proof of that lies in the exports of Brazilian bovine genetics. “The size of this market is incalculable, judging by the interest of some countries, which include economic powers like China, in addition to African countries”, the researcher concludes.
Photo: Zineb Benchekchou
Rubens Neiva (MTb 5.445/MG)
Embrapa Dairy Cattle
Press inquiries
cnpgl.imprensa@embrapa.br
Phone number: +55 32 99199-4757
Translation: Mariana Medeiros (13044/DF)
Embrapa’s Superintendency of Communications
Further information on the topic
Citizen Attention Service (SAC)
www.embrapa.br/contact-us/sac/
Source link : https://www.embrapa.br/en/busca-de-noticias/-/noticia/90744561/brazil-helps-nigeria-increase-dairy-production-with-girolando-breed
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-09 07:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.