KLDB centre at Mattupetty will be upgraded to an international-standard centre of excellence: Minister

Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Bindhu Krishna feeding the cattle at the KLDB centre in Mattupetty on Monday.

The cattle development centre under the Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) at Mattupetty, near Munnar in Idukki, will be upgraded to a centre of excellence of international standard, Minister for Dairy Development and Animal Husbandry Bindhu Krishna has said.

Laying the foundation stone for the international-standard Centre for Advancement in Livestock Productivity and Research (CALPR) established by the KLDB at Mattupetty on Monday, Ms. Krishna said the government has decided to develop the facility into a premier hub for research, technology, training, and advanced breeding practices.

The Minister noted that several upcoming projects will develop Mattupetty into a hub capable of attracting international research scholars and tourists. She added that introducing new projects would generate significant local employment opportunities, and assured that the Animal Husbandry department will oversee the development and protection of the KLDB centre.

Ms. Krishna further stated that the government aims to increase milk production across the State to one crore litres over the next three years, with the modernisation and renovation of the Mattupetty facility playing a central role in achieving this target.

During the event, the Minister also inaugurated the Statewide rollout of OPU-IVF-ET (Ovum Pick-Up, In-Vitro Fertilisation, and Embryo Transfer) technologies, launched the new KLDB Farm Software, felicitated outstanding dairy farmers, and honoured top artificial insemination (AI) technicians, including private women AI practitioners.

According to officials, the CALPR centre aims to foster advanced research and genetic progress, build institutional research collaborations, facilitate training and knowledge exchange, conduct fodder development research, upgrade infrastructure, reduce milk production costs to boost farmers’ profitability, and promote scientific cattle management practices.

The centre will prioritise genomic selection, embryo transfer technologies, in-vitro fertilisation, and modern reproductive techniques suited to Keralam’s climate and agro-ecological conditions. In addition to offering research and training facilities for farmers, scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and start-ups, joint research initiatives will be launched in partnership with leading national and international institutions.

Devikulam MLA A. Raja presided over the function. Idukki district panchayat president Sheela Stephen, Dairy Development Department Director Shalini Gopinath, and KLDB Managing Director R. Rajeev, among others, attended the function.