Status and Prospects of Reproductive Biotechnologies of Small Ruminants in India: An Overview

Farm animals form an important place in the food cycle. To meet the increased demand for quality livestock products for the growing population, it is imperative to increase the productivity of livestock by utilizing advanced technologies. Advancement in reproductive biotechnologies has opened new vistas in livestock production, including small ruminants (goat and sheep). Assisted-reproductive technologies (ART) offer immense possibilities for allowing reproduction to be in a planned manner, which is not feasible under traditional conditions of rearing. However, major research challenges remain in the refinement of some technologies for enhancing productivity and profitability. This paper presents an overview, the status of the state-of-the-art reproductive biotechnologies and their prospects in small ruminant production.