About 10% of Russian Dairy Farms Achieve Global Genetics Standards
This was reported by Yuri Pikov, the COO and co-founder of Xitest, on the Main Stage of the Moscow Startup Summit. He spoke at the session "Code of Independence: Genetic Resilience as a New Leap in Technology and Startups."
The first area of Xitest's work is dairy cattle breeding. According to Pikov, the impact of genetic solutions is seen faster in this industry. The main tool he mentioned is genomic selection: DNA analysis allows determining the breeding value of an animal before its first calving or offspring are produced.
The company currently collaborates with 224 farms across 40 Russian regions. Among its clients are 32 holdings that rank in the top one hundred milk producers. The corporate database contains information on 4.1 million animals and genotyping results for 187,000 individuals.
"Xitest" is developing its own reference database and applies the MBI — Multi-trait Breeding Index. Farms use this indicator when selecting animals for further breeding. Although the index considers several traits, the specific composition of indicators was not specified in the presentation.
Elena Baturova, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Rosselkhozbank, stated that artificial intelligence reduces the time needed for breeding work. She also noted the availability of specialists among farmers ready to implement new technologies. According to her, Russia is looking at China's experience, which has made significant advances in genetics over the past decade.
Baturova announced that the Ministry of Agriculture has developed a similar plan and that scientific organizations and businesses have already created corresponding associations. To prepare specialists at the intersection of genetics and artificial intelligence, Rosselkhozbank, together with one of the leading schools, is developing an educational program. It aims to attract students with strong biology backgrounds to the industry.
Session participants stated that further development of genetics in animal husbandry requires technology and personnel capable of working with it. As a current indicator of industry development, they mentioned the number of farms using world-level genetics and selection methods: about 10% of all Russian dairy farms.
