BL Agro invests US$174M in integrated dairy and genetics platform

INDIA – BL Agro has announced an investment of ₹1,500 crore (US$174 million) in its biotechnology subsidiary Leads Genetics to develop an integrated dairy and cattle genetics platform covering breeding, reproductive technologies, animal health, nutrition and milk production.

The company announced the investment during the two-day Cattle Genomics Summit 2026 in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, as it seeks to build a broader dairy value chain and expand its genetics model to other parts of India.

BL Agro is in discussions with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh to replicate the integrated model, which will bring breed improvement, reproductive technology and genetic evaluation into a single production system.

The planned facilities include a Breed Improvement Farm, IVF-ET laboratory, Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer (MOET) facility, pathology laboratory and genomics laboratory.

Scaling cattle genetics

Leads Genetics is also developing a Centre of Excellence in Bareilly, with the company targeting production of 15,000 embryos per month by the end of 2027.

The facility will combine genomic selection with IVF, embryo transfer and sex-sorted semen to accelerate the multiplication of animals carrying desirable traits.

A new Zebu-optimised bovine SNP chip will allow the company to assess thousands of genetic markers and support earlier selection of animals based on traits including milk production, fertility, growth, health, heat tolerance and resistance to ticks and parasites.

Dr Ashish Dubey, co-founder of Leads Genetics, said the technologies would help strengthen indigenous genomic capability and tropical cattle breeding.

“Genomics allows us to identify genetic potential more accurately and build breeding programmes around measurable traits, rather than relying only on conventional selection,” Dubey said.

The company said the approach is intended to improve India’s genetic self-reliance while conserving and developing indigenous cattle breeds.

Linking genetics with dairy production

BL Agro chairman Dr Ghanshyam Khandelwal said the investment would support the company’s broader 360-degree dairy model, linking genetics and breeding with animal health, nutrition, milk production, processing and market access.

“Better genetics can improve milk productivity, reproductive performance and the long-term value of cattle, while creating additional income opportunities for farmers,” Khandelwal said.

The company expects genetically selected cows to produce an average of 40–60 litres of milk per cow per day, although actual productivity will depend on genetics, nutrition, health and farm management.

Dr Sarvannan Durairaj, head of IVF-MOET at Leads Genetics, said the Centre of Excellence would help scale embryo production and make superior genetics more widely available.

“We are targeting production of 15,000 embryos per month by the end of 2027, creating the capacity to accelerate genetic improvement across India’s dairy sector,” he said.

The initiative brings genetics into a broader livestock productivity strategy in which breeding, reproductive technologies, animal health and nutrition work together to improve cattle performance and the efficiency of milk production.

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