A single ejaculation of Yuvraj generates between 4-6 ml of semen, which is then diluted and 500 to 600 doses prepared with it.

NEW DELHI: Even as cricket-lovers' are looking forward to see one of their favourite players, Yuvraj Singh, in action at the T20 World Cup, it was a four-legged Yuvraj who stole the show here at the ' Krishi Unnati Mela' (agriculture development fair), inaugurated by PM Modi at the sprawling IARI Pusa campus on Saturday.

Thousands of farmers, from across the country, thronged the enclosure of Yuvraj - a much sought after Murrah-breed donor bull - and his proud owner, Karamvir Singh, in an effort to convince him to part with some of the animal's semen to help artificially inseminate their milch buffaloes.

They all were, however, told to visit Karamvir's farm in Sunarion village in Kurukshetra, Haryana where the owner has state-of-the-art facilities to collect semen and store it safely.

A single ejaculation of Yuvraj, triggered with the help of a teaser animal or by electro-stimulation method, generates between 4-6 ml of semen, which is then diluted scientifically and 500 to 600 doses prepared with it. Karamvir sells a single dose, preserved inside plastic straws and stored in liquid nitrogen containers, for Rs 300.

Asked about how much his money-making bull earns for him, Karamvir told TOI that he roughly earned Rs 40-45 lakh per annum from Yuvraj but hastened to add that he spent a lot of the cash to keep his prized possession in good health.

"I spend roughly Rs 3,000 per day on eight-year-old Yuvraj's food. The money which I earn from Yuvraj helps me to keep my other buffaloes in better condition. I could have charged more than Rs 300 for a single dose, but I deliberately keep the price low as I want to carry on with this business as a social service", said Karamvir.

What had prompted you to name the donor bull after the cricketer Yuvraj Singh? He said, " Uske sitare cricketer ke beech buland the (he was among the shining star among cricketers). So, I kept the then baby bull's name after him."

Karamvir later named Yuvraj's father (bull) Yograj (after Yuvraj Singh's cricketer father Yograj Singh) and mother Ganga. "Both Yograj and Ganga are with me in my farm. Ganga, which gave birth to buffaloes, still produces 26 litres of milk every day. Karamvir claimed that a couple of rich dairy farmers have been offering him as much as Rs 9 crore for Yuvraj, but he says he isn't tempted.

The huge demand for high-yielding Murrah buffaloes is behind the success story of Yuvraj. The Murrah breed is mainly found in northern and central India and is considered among the best high-yield native breed in south Asia along with Jaffarabadi and Neeli Ravi.

Since it is difficult to find superior bulls as they are rare, dairy farmers across north India look for semen of any known Murrah bull for their milch buffaloes.

