ISLAMABAD: In another sign of significant progress between China-Pakistan cooperation in buffalo embryo production and transfer, Pakistan exported 10,000 embryos to China in recent month.
It was valued at $2 million, Dr Qaisar Shahzad, program manager at the Royal Cell Biotechnology (Pakistan) Co. Ltd., exporter of the embryos told Gwadar Pro in an interview.
The Lahore-based RCB (Pakistan), owned by China’s Royal Group, has established a joint venture with Pakistan’s JW Group, which specialises in production and transfer of embroys of Pakistan’s superior buffalo breeds using advanced Chinese IVF technology.
In August 2023, Pakistan authorised the RCB (Pakistan) to export buffalo embryos, ova and frozen semen to China.
The first consignment of 5,000 buffalo embryos was sent to China on June 8, 2024, followed by a recent second consignment of 5,000 embryos exported to China, Dr Qaisar Shahzad said.
The embryos were produced from oocytes of the buffalos present at the Royal JW Buffalo Industry Co. Laboratory in Lahore, Dr Qaisar stated.
Over the next decade, China intends to import at least 300,000 buffalo embryos from Pakistan.
He said that as many as 100 jobs were created for local people in the process, and the JV has also produced another 10,000 buffalo embryos for sale in Pakistan.
Given the growing demand for buffalo milk in China and the popularity of Pakistani buffaloes for their milk quality and production volume, China intends to further enhance Pakistan’s superior buffalo breed through its advance technology.
