Overall Roles and Responsibilities
- Conduct need-based research to improve the production efficiency of Govt. Nucleus dairy farms and multiplier farms
- Research climate-smart dairy farming
- Implement dairy breeding- progeny testing and breed development research
- Develop and disseminate Standard Operating Procedures to enhance dairy production
- Coordinate the implementation of a reproductive waste management program to enhance dairy production
- Provide technical expertise in specialized areas for training and capacity building of field staff
- Monitor, and produce periodic reports, research briefs, and journal articles
Roles & Responsibilities of Different Units under the Input Production Sector
Production Research Unit
- Conduct research on climate-smart dairy farming; performance evaluation of dairy cattle breeds at different blood levels and recommend appropriate breed/ blood level of animals
- Develop and disseminate Standard Operating Procedures to enhance dairy production
- Document existing dairy farming practices of different farm types, develop standard operating procedures and recommend good management practices for production enhancement.
- Maintain national inventory of Farmers’ Institutions (DFGs/ Cooperatives), Semi-commercial and Commercial dairy farms including dairy cattle inventory as well as milk production and export information regularly.
- Provide technical expertise in specialized areas for training and capacity building of field staff
Breeding Research Unit
- Initiate dairy breeding- progeny testing and breed development research
- Maintain a national database on breeding programs (AI and Bull) in the country
- Set a benchmark for dairy nucleus farms based on the farm carrying capacity and facilities vis-à-vis the production potential of the breed and oversee its implementation
- Evaluate the production efficiency of Govt. dairy nucleus farms
- Monitor the performance of AI Outreach stations, breeding bulls, and Community-based AI technicians (CAIT) in the field
- Institute the usage of sex-sorted semen as per guidelines
- Monitor the incidences of infertility cases and provide necessary interventions for the reduction of reproductive waste management in cattle
- Develop and disseminate Standard Operating Procedures and good Management Practices to bring efficiency to input production farms
- Assist to conduct need analysis based on published research findings for the introduction of new dairy breeds in the country
- Oversee the supply and usage of hormonal drugs related to cattle reproduction in the field
Dairy Breeding & Management Unit
- Dairy Breeding and Management Unit of NDDC oversees the National Cattle Breeding Program in the country. The breeding program envisages science-based systematic breeding, with a regulated supply of semen from different bulls/sire lines, drawing a clear distribution plan to avoid inbreeding.
- The Unit monitors the selection and mating of cattle in the field to ensure that breeding activities implemented nationwide are coherent with breeding goals [milk production, fertility/reproductive health] to change the genetic merit of future generations and bring about an improvement in economic efficiency[earn greater profit through improved management and milk production at a lower cost (smart farming)].
- The Unit implements the Elite Heifer Breeder Scheme (EHBS) as a sustainable strategy to increase the population of superior dairy heifers in the shortest possible time and meet its demand internally. A focused approach in heifer production engaging Community farms, Government cattle farms; and smallholder cluster dairy farmers/breeders, with superior cows, across the country are hallmarks of this Scheme.
Dairy Enterprise & Value Chain Promotion Unit
- The Dairy Enterprises and Value Chain Promotion Unit of NDDC focuses on providing technical advisory and expertise to Dzongkhag Livestock Sectors nation- wide in organizing production, processing, and marketing of milk and dairy products by farmers.
- At the national level, the unit oversees the strengthening of the dairy chain from a dairy industry development perspective and conducts case studies to assess challenges faced and existing opportunities to devise pathways for robust dairy chain management. The Units provide expertise to revitalize defunct dairy groups and encourage combining Dairy Groups and Cooperatives to operate in a cluster for milk collection at higher volume for greater turnover “economy of scale”. Besides, the Unit assesses and recommends upgrading Milk Processing facilities based on the need to serve as a milk/milk product congregating platform which can play a strategic role within the dairy chain management to maintain a daily flow of milk, maintain milk quality milk, processing and transferring to market outlet for sale.
- Further, to improve the organization of the milk supply/market chain, the Unit makes efforts to extend “business linkages” between dairy farmers and larger value/supply chain actors such as Kofuko International Limited (KIL) in Trashigang and other aspiring private dairy business ventures or milk procurement, processing and marketing for sustainable upliftment of farmer’s livelihoods.
