A team of scientists from Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana is working on a project to clone the famous pashmina goat.  A success in this direction is expected to give boost to the dwindling trade in pashmina wool. The project is under a World Bank aided project known as National Agriculture Innovation Project.

 

The pashmina goat cloning project is a joint partnership between National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). Indian Council of Agriculture Research has approved the project which comprises four components.  The World Bank has granted Rs 9 crore aid for this project out of which SKUAST will get Rs 1.80 crore and rest will be given to NDRI.

 

The project 'Value Chain on Zone Free Cloned Embryos Production and Development of Elite Germ Plasma Pashmina' hopes to change the pashmina production scenario in the state. A six-member team will use somatic cells of the goat to clone the cell to produce new pashmina goat. Scientists will use a hand-guided cloning technique and the four-phased project will run for next three years.