Recommendations of International Buffalo Congress 2019

Recommendations of International Buffalo Congress 2019. Buffalo breeding and genetics, reproduction, buffalo nutrition, feed resources, fattening of buffalo, buffalo meat technology and other aspects were discussed. Different suggestions for buffalo farming were also discussed. These are Buffalo Congress 2019 Recommendations.

Buffalo Breeding and Genetics

Genetic progress has remained very slow in buffalo and need to be expedited without wasting further time.

1. Pedigree and performance recording for economic traits is foremost essential for genetic improvement. Investment and institutionalization need to be improved taking on board all stakeholders especially farmers.

2. Genomics will remain important in the years to come. International collaboration to harvest benefits of this technology in buffalo producing countries should be facilitated among the R&D institutions.

3. Several buffalo producing countries have initiated their own recording system. There is a need for harmonization among countries to reach an international standard. This would facilitate exchange of germplasm for global buffalo development.

ویٹرنری میٹرز– انٹرنیشنل بفلو کانگرس اور بھینس میلہ پر روزنامہ آفتاب کی خصوصی رپورٹ

Buffalo Congress 2019 Recommendations for Buffalo Reproduction

Fertility issues are large in buffaloes which has constrained the profitability and sustainability of buffalo farming

1. Modern reproductive technology is underutilized in buffalo compared to cattle. Buffalo specific reproductive technology need to be developed and commercialized for future.

2. Transformation of subsistence buffalo farming to commercialized system need introduction of the new concept of precision buffalo breeding.

3. New successful methods of buffalo breeding such as Fixed Time AI (FTAI) need to be widely adopted in smallholder buffalo farms.

Buffalo Nutrition and Feed Resources

Feed resources in many countries are rapidly diminishing due to shrinking of land resources and impact of climate change.

1. Alternate non-conventional local feed resources should be explored using R&D to make these safe for cost effective use in buffalo feeding.

2. The cost of production in buffalo can be reduced by improving feed conversion efficiency and nutrient utilization especially protein through precision feeding and adopting modern feeding practices.

3. Information on feed selection and feeding management must reach to small farmers with technical back up for adoption.

4. Data on nutrient requirements of buffalo in different countries should be shared for compilation and validation to develop uniform international standards as a first step. This will be continuously refined with collaborative targeted research.

Buffalo Congress 2019 Recommendations for Buffalo Health

Buffalo production is at high risk of various diseases. Most of them are of economic importance and some are important from public health view.

1. Timely diagnosis and access to low cost diagnostic technology is hindering control of diseases in buffalo in smallholder farms. Production of local diagnostic kits for infectious diseases should be developed.

2. Epidemiology of major diseases in buffaloes shall be streamlined to help devising control measures.

3. The national FMD control program in Pakistan and several other countries should be strengthened to reduce economic losses and enhance entry of buffalo meat and other products in the international market.

Buffalo fattening and meat technology

There is a rising demand of buffalo meat in Gulf Cooperative Countries which can be captured through the following measures;

1. Buffalo calves having lower dressing percentage than cattle shall be fattened for higher body weight of 250 to 300 kg to make them comparable and competitive.

2. Slaughtering of buffalo calves at 12 months or less age should be discouraged and shall be added with 4 month fattening to increase buffalo meat production

3. In buffalo, meat technology is at infancy. Post-slaughter technology should be developed to improve meat quality and shelf life for both domestic and export markets.

4. Raising buffalo calves to slaughter age is a big challenge. Different countries have evolved viable business models which need to be shared among buffalo producing countries for adoption.

Buffalo Congress 2019 Recommendations for Buffalo Farming

1. Buffalo farming is operated at subsistence level with little commercialization. Transformation of subsistence to commercial farming needs input of technology packages combining breeding, feeding, disease control, management and marketing instead of piece meal approach. An integrated approach similar to the model of Swedish project in Sri Lanka need to be adopted.

2. A whole farm holistic approach including nutrient management shall add to the success of buffalo farming as part of mixed system for increasing livelihood of farmers.

3. At the end it is emphasized that we need transformation of buffalo production from population driven to technology driven and from fragmented to more organized commercial model.

نومولود مویشیوں کی نسل کُشی کی روک تھام کا منصوبہ،آگاہی سیمینار میں وزیر لائیوسٹاک سندھ کی شرکت

مسائل اور تذبذب کا شکار ڈیری سیکٹر ۔۔ پروفیسر ڈاکٹر طلعت نصیر پاشا

پاکستان میں بھینسوں کی کامیاب فارمنگ کیسے ممکن؟ خصوصی تحریر ۔۔ روزنامہ آفتاب، ویٹرنری میٹرز

Editor In Chief

Dr. Jassar Aftab is a qualified Veterinarian having expertise in veterinary communication. He is a renowned veterinary Journalist of Pakistan. He is veterinary columnist, veterinary writer and veterinary analyst. He is the author of three books. He has written a number of articles and columns on different topics related to livestock, dairy, poultry, wildlife, fisheries, food security and different aspects of animal sciences and veterinary education.

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