India's first ‘test tube’ Banni buffalo calf born in Gujarat .

Gir Somnath on Saturday reported the successful birth of the country"s first 'Banni' breed of buffalo through IVF technology . This follows the birth of India's first batch of 'Murrah' breed of buffalo that underwent IVF ( in vitro fertilisation) at a farm near pune last year .

The process was carried out to enhance the number of genetically superior buffaloes to increase milk production, the official said. Banni buffalo is known for its resilience and higher milk producing capacity in an arid environment.

A "Banni" buffalo belonging to a dairy farmer from Dhanej village in Gir Somnath gave birth to an IVF male calf, in what the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying called the birth of the first calf of the breed born using in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

The breed had achieved six pregnancies from 18 recipient buffaloes at his farm, which were implanted with embryos through IVF technology, and the process was carried out by JKBovagenix of NGO JK Trust, a social initiative of Raymond Group, dairy farmer Vinay Vala said.

The embryos of Banni donors were implanted in 18 recipient buffaloes, from which one calf was born on Friday morning, and a few more will be born in the next few days, he said .

"I decided to shift to Banni and Murrah breeds, as the milk yield in desi buffaloes was low and uneven. Around eight of my Banni buffaloes gave a really good result with 9-12 litres of milk per time in a consistent manner with limited intake," Vala said.

In Gujarat, the NGO has carried out 125 IVF pregnancies in 24 months from a Gir donor cow named Gauri, while another Gir donor named Samadhi will complete 100 IVF pregnancies over the next two months, Zawar said .