According to well-placed sources, this was the second attempt to breed the Giriraja in Gujarat; the first attempt, in 1986, had flopped.

Reasons why this particular breed is highly treasured are plenty: assistant director of the Vadodara animal husbandry department A C Desai and veterinary officer G J Bhatt claim that the meat of the bird is softer and more delicious than locally bred birds.

Currently available at the AH retail outlets in Vadodara, Dahod and Surat, the Giriraja were originally developed two decades ago by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Mangalore, by reciprocal crossing of two common broiler parent breeds with varied genetic advantages.

The chicken attains a weight of one kg at eight weeks, annually produces three times the number of eggs laid by other varieties and was quite an efficient scavenger for grains, greens and field insects. Besides, say experts, they can mate with the local stock to upgrade the quality.

Demands for the Giriraja chickens had already started coming in from all parts of the State, sources said, since the Vadodara unit was the first in the State to develop the breed. More than 15,000 chickens, worth Rs 1.5 lakh, have already been sold to at least three poultry farms at Dahod, Vadodara and Surat.

While talking to Express Newsline, regional joint director of the department Jacob K Philip, however, says he'd rather wait a year before taking the credit for the breeding. But he unhesitatingly describes how he managed the breakthrough. ``Because the white chicken is easily spotted by carnivores, Gujarati tribals traditionally haven't evinced much interest in poultry'', he says.

To break the barrier, the local unit of the AH department brought in 600 female and 200 male adult Girirajas from Mangalore in June last year and reared them with the help of scientific management, balanced feed and water and hygienic conditions. It was only last month that the experiment was certified as successful by senior officers.

The 25-odd poultry farms in each of the districts of Vadodara, Panchmahals, Dahod, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Valsad, Dangs and Narmada -- all of which come under the Vadodara AH region -- so long reared only Rhode Island Reds, besides desi chickens and broilers; henceforth they'll breed Girirajas as well, sources say, adding that this could well be expected to benefit the local tribals.

The AH department has already initiated dicussions with collectors and Panchayat offices of the nine districts; officials foresee a boom in the breeding of the species among tribals and other farmers of the Central and South Gujarat, especially as the bird will fetch them the same Rs 40 a kg in the market.

Incidentally, official kudos, too, have come in for the development of the Giriraja; so much so that the Vadodara office has been provided a special vehicle to transport the birds!