Rangsun Parnpai, head of a research team at Suranaree University of Technology in Thailand's northeast, said his team had successfully cloned 14 calves over the past 15 months.

They include seven males produced with stem cells from the ear of Toom Tam, a red Brahmin bull, that were implanted in the womb of a surrogate mother, and four female calves from cells from another red Brahmin, named Benz, he said.

"All the calves are healthy, there is nothing wrong with them," he told AFP.

One of Benz's cloned offspring, Benz 3, was to be presented to Thailand's Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the king's daughter, when she presents degrees to students at the university on Monday, he said.

Cloning of a premium cow that can produce up to 8,000 kilogramspounds) of milk per year was also being undertaken at the university's farm in Chon Buri province.

"The cloning will help Thai farmers own high-breed cows on a low budget, as the country has banned imported breeds from the United States," Rangsun said.

Thailand banned US imports of beef and cattle in December 2003 when the United States reported its first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.

Rangsun, who in 2000 became the first scientist to clone a cow in Southeast Asia, said the price for breeding cows ranged from 100,000 to 2.0 million baht (2,600 to 51,950 dollars) per head.

He said he could provide Thai farmers with cloned dairy cows for as little as 20,000 baht (520 dollars) per head.

Rangsun said his team was also preparing to clone two endangered species, a gaur and a marbel cat.

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