Birth of first IVF calves announced

LAHORE:Embygen, an initiative of Al-Haiwan Group, one of the largest companies working towards cattle and buffalo breed improvement in Pakistan on Tuesday announced the birth of Pakistan’s first in-vitro fertilization (IVF) of a male and female calves named Chand and Sitara, respectively, born on October 17, 2020 using the donor and recipient animals of Sahiwal breed.

The calves were born at Al-Haiwan farm located in Sahiwal. The latest development can be termed as a turning point in the Pakistan’s growth story that would bring in a revolution in producing genetically superior indigenous and exotic breeds which can lead to a multifold increase in milk and meat output. Embygen plans to develop 15,000 IVF

pregnancies by the year 2025.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Muhammad Farooq, CEO, Alhaiwan Group said this is the second initiative undertaken by Al-Haiwan. The first initiative “Cattle and Buffalo Breed Improvement Programme through AI (artificial insemination)” has been undertaken all over Pakistan with phenomenal outcomes.

Dr Hasan Riaz, chief scientist, Alhaiwan Group said, “The success of our clinical trials marks a milestone that signifies the beginning of transformation of cattle scenario in Pakistan.” Elaborating on this scientific breakthrough, Muhammad Omer Farooq, co-founder of Embygen and managing director of Alhaiwan Group said, “We are proud to have the best animal IVF lab in Pakistan.” Incepted in 2016, Alhaiwan has set up state-of-the-art ET-IVF lab under the name ‘Embygen’ (Animal IVF Centre) located in Sahiwal.