DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Haryana will establish a Centre of Excellence for the development of animal breeds in collaboration with Brazil. This information was given by Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister, Sh. JP Dalal in Brazil. He said that the Gir Association of Brazil has expressed willingness to import Murrah buffalo germplasm from Haryana State through Haryana Livestock Development Board. A delegation led by Sh. Dalal is on a visit to Brazil and today in the Brazilian city of Brasilia this delegation met the President of the Gir Association, Professor Jose Fernando and his team members. The Indian Ambassador to the Indian High Commission, Sh. Suresh Reddy was also present in the meeting. During the meeting the delegation discussed with the members of Association of Brazilian Zebu Breeders (ABCZ) the modalities for setting up of Centre of Excellence for Gir Animals in Haryana and got information. The delegation visited Motam Gir Hut Farm in Alexandrio District near Brasilia which is one of the largest Gir Farm with more than 1,500 good quality Gir Cows. The delegation inquired about the dairy practices followed in breeding, nutrition and agricultural management practices and studied them. Sh. Dalal met Mr. Jean Marcel Fernandes, Secretary of Trade and International Relations, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supplies of Brazil and had very fruitful discussions. They agreed to further strengthen mutually beneficial ties in the areas of dairy development and cattle breed improvement, including exchange of information and experiences, technologies such as Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT) and In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), joint research and exchange of genetic material and germplasm. During the meeting both sides also agreed to cooperate in setting up a Centre of Excellence in Haryana. Sh. Dalal also invited a delegation from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture to visit Haryana to take these forward and explore new areas of cooperation in agriculture, forestry and aquaculture. In the meeting they also agreed to engage with both sides through diplomatic missions located in Brasilia and New Delhi. In Uberaba, Sh. Dalal held a meeting with the ABCZ and visited Alta Genetics, a state-of-the-art animal genomics company. They welcomed their interest in expanding cooperation for mutually beneficial partnerships in animal husbandry and allied sectors. Sh. Dalal also visited the Embrapa Animal Dairy (Embrapa Gado de Leite) Research Center in Juiz de Fora and discussed areas of cooperation. (editor@dailyworld.in)