MP varsity discovers chocolate for cattle to improve milk production

Jabalpur:  A state-run university in Madhya Pradesh has discovered a yummy alternative to fodder and cattle feed in the form of chocolate, which will help ramp up milk production and improve the reproduction rate of livestock, an official said on Friday.
After research of two months, the Jabalpur-based Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University has prepared a multivitamin and mineral-rich chocolate for cattle, which can be an alternate feed when there is a non-availability of green fodder, the University’s Vice-Chancellor professor S P Tiwari said.

The university, with the help of the state Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department, will soon supply these chocolates to farmers across the state, he said.

The university has plans to transfer the chocolate manufacturing technique to veterinary graduates who are willing to open a start-up unit for chocolate production, Tiwari said.

“The chocolate will enhance milk production, reproductive growth, and conception rate in cattle. It is rich in vitamins and protein,” he said.

Cattle can consume the chocolate as it is and it can also be served with other feeds, he added.

“Each piece of chocolate is around 500 gm and is prepared with ingredients traditionally used in cattle feed such as mustard cake, rice polish, molasses, starch, lime powder and common salt,” Tiwari said, adding that each piece will cost Rs 25.

The university has designed wooden molds for the production of this chocolate and 500 pieces have been manufactured so far, he said.

The university has written to the state government and once it gets a go-ahead, the product will enter the market, Tiwari said.