Challenges facing the development of a genetic improvement program for dairy cattle in Myanmar

Abstract

Myanmar is the second largest agricultural-oriented country in Southeast Asia. Cattle in Myanmar are mostly for draught, with only 1% for dairy. Myanmar local breeds originated from Zebu (Bos indicus). Thus, they are well adapted to tropical environmental conditions and are resistant to tropical diseases and external parasites. However, the milk production of local breeds is low. Consequently, local dairy cattle have been crossbred with genetically improved dairy breeds to increase the milk yield. Achieving high milk yields quickly has been a major goal of dairy farmers and has been strongly supported by the Myanmar government. Primarily, foreign aid projects in Myanmar have focused on upgrading local dairy cattle to Bos taurus improved dairy breeds using artificial insemination. However, imported germplasm should be genetically evaluated under local conditions at the farm, regional and national levels to identify the most suitable animals under Myanmar’s production and environmental conditions. This will require the implementation of a national information-based selection and mating program accompanied by cost-effective management and feeding systems. At present, individual pedigree and performance records are largely unavailable in Myanmar. Thus, there is a need for a comprehensive national dairy cattle improvement program encompassing an individual animal database, genetic evaluation, and selection and mating plans that should be devised, tested and implemented.