Korean cow semen to be exported to East Africa

Korea will export the sperm of high quality cows to East African countries.

The Dairy Cattle Improvement Center of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation said on Tuesday that it recently signed an MOU for the cooperation for overseas dairy development and the export of the sperm of Korean cows with Good Farmers, a voluntary organization. The center plans to export semen to Uganda next month and then other East African countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. As part of the national aid project, Good Farmers will send experts to the countries and help them learn how to produce a high quality crossbreed using the sperm of Korean cows.

East African countries do not have advanced technology of improving the quality of cows. Local dairy cows can produce only four to six percent (1.2 to 1.7 liters of milk) of what Korean cows produce per day. However, a crossbreed with a Korean cow through in-vitro fertilization could produce around 10 liters of milk per day.

“With a population of around 200 million, East African countries are growing up to five to seven percent a year, which leads to a surge in milk consumption,” said Oh Chang-rok, head of the Dairy Cattle Improvement Center. “We will contribute to increasing milk production in those countries by taking advantage of Korea’s excellent technologies.”