THE Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) of Negros Occidental and United Cattle Raisers Association in Negros and Visayas (Ucrain-V) are banking on artificial insemination (AI) to boost the local cattle industry.

They are pushing for the use of AI as a breeding method to accelerate genetic improvement and production of cattle in the province.

The measure is also positioned to help address the country's dwindling cattle population.

PVO and Ucrain-V, in cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), conducted a seminar-demonstration on proper semen handling, identification, storage and management at the Negros First Ranch (NFR) in Murcia town recently.

The activity is aimed at enhancing the skills of technicians to improve the efficiency of AI as a breeding technique for a higher rate of pregnancy.

It was attended by AI technicians from different local government units (LGUs) and Ucrain-V members, who are actively involved in cattle breeding and beef production in the province.

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said that in support to AI as a breeding initiative, the provincial government has established a Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) production plant at the NFR last year.

Decena said the plant has a production capacity of 50-kilogram per day which now caters the needs of the breeders for semen preservation.

"Also, the NFR will soon operate the semen processing plant which will serve as the source of semen from various cattle breeds for AI programs of the province under its animal genetic improvement initiative," he added.

The provincial veterinarian said the re-tooling of AI technicians is in preparation for a more intense cattle breeding drive this year especially once the Provincial Semen Processing Facility becomes operational.

It targets to cater both small and commercial cattle raisers, Decena said.

"The facility will enable the province to have its own source of frozen semen from superior cattle breeds like Angus, Wagyu and Brahman, among others," he added.