BREEDING POLICY AND ACTION PLAN

FOR BUFFALO BREEDING

Dr. Manzoor Ahmad

Senior Research Officer

Buffalo Research Institute Pattoki District Kasur

Buffalo Breeding in Punjab

There are 20 million buffaloes in Punjab. Population trend is positive.

positive.

In 1986, this number was 11.2 millions which rose to 13.1 million
million in the livestock
census (GOP, 1996: 2003).

Distribution of buffaloes is variable across different agroagro-ecological zones.

Most population is found in northern irrigated districts.

About 4.5% of the buffaloes are raised in urban while 95.5% are raised in rural area.

There is shortage of breeding bulls and coverage has been around 5%.

However, bulls used for AI have good pedigree performance.

The Progeny Testing Program for evaluation of bulls has been carried
carried out by Livestock
Production Research Institute since 1984 at a limited scale.

During 20062006-2007, The Buffalo Research Institute (BRI), Pattoki District Kasur launched
launched
one of the largest Progeny Testing Program in Nili Ravi buffaloes
buffaloes with 3 Govt. Buffalo
Farms (LES, Bhunikey, Haroonabad & Chak Katora), 2 Military Buffalo
Buffalo Farms (Khayber &
Punjnad) and in registered buffaloes of the farmers & breeders in
in 10 project districts;
Kasur, Gujrat, Gujranwala, M. B. Din, Hafizabad, Faisalabad, T. T. Singh, Pakpattan,
Vehari and Bahawalnagar.

Under this program more than fifteen thousand animals have been registered from the
field districts and a total of 2077 buffaloes (both from the field
field districts and three Govt.
Buffalo Farms) have been declared as elite/ bull mothers on the basis of their estimated
breeding values (EBVs) or Generalized Linear Solution (GLS) values.
values.

The 305305-days lactation milk yield is being used as criteria trait for evaluation
evaluation with
animal model.

The registered breeders are provided incentives in shape of free insemination,

vaccination and medication of registered animals and their progeny.
progeny.

So for 1217 calves (621 male and 596 female) have been born with the inseminations
of test/ proven bull semen.
semen.

This program needs further expansion throughout the Punjab

Breed Characteristics
Proposed Breeding Policy for Buffaloes

NILI BREED:

Improvement in milk production of buffaloes through selection and

and improved
utilization through interinter-provincial initiatives.

The Nili buffalo is one of the finest breeds in the Punjab and is well known for its various
qualities.

Improvement of reproductive performance of buffaloes through reduction

reduction in age at
first calving and calving interval

The animals are mostly black in color but some time brown animals are also seen. They
possess small well-set head, hollow face with small active walled eyes.

Regulation of breeding services at institutional level as well as

as private initiatives

Horns are thick at the base and pointed at the tip and from well-formed rings. Ears are
thin and pendulous and neck is long and thin.

Grading up of nonnon-descript buffaloes with Nili, Ravi, and NiliNili-Ravi breeds in their
respective homehome-tracts

The tail is well-set and long, almost touching the ground. The legs are comparatively
short.

Conservation and development of recognized Nili and Ravi buffalo breeds through
farmers participation

There is generally a big prominent udder with well placed and developed teats about 20
cm long which are a distinctive features of the breed.

The skin usually is jet black, sparsely covered with fine hair.

The buffaloes with white foreheads, white switch of the tail, white four legs ( Panj kalian
i.e. five white extremities), wall eyes and jet black body colour form the typical specimen
of the pure Nili breed.

The average milk yield is 9 to 15 kg per day.

RAVI BREED:
The Ravi buffaloes are mostly black and brown in colour.
The breed was mostly seen along the Ravi River and around the Bahadurnagar
Farm in Mardani, Hassan wala, Khichhian village and Okara district.
The animals of the this breed possess fairly big head (distinctive from that of
Nili), flat forehead, thick short neck, wide hind quarters.
Big soft udder with long teats.
Spiral or dropped horns,
Thin soft hairless oily skin and long thin tail.
The milk yield varied from 7.5 to 14 kg per day.

NILI RAVI BBREED:

The Nili Ravi buffaloes are usually black in color but brown colour is not
uncommon (10-15 percent).
Wall-eyes and white marking on forehead, face, muzzle, legs and tail switch are
common and are very much desired.
Horns are short, broad at the base and closely curled behind the base. A few
animals (1-2 percent) have loose hanging horns.
The body is massive and barrel shaped with a deep frame.
The head is long, convex in the upper third but with a depression between the
orbits. It shows good depth from the angle of the jaw to the base of the horns.
Nasal and frontal bones are prominent.
Eyes are prominent, especially in the females.
The neck is long and thin in the females and thick and powerful in the males.
There is no dewlap and the umbilical fold is small.
The legs are comparatively short with good bone.

The female is wedge shaped with relatively narrow forequarters and wide
roomy hindquarters.

Meat Production:

The back is wide and straight between the prominent withers and the slightly
sloping rump.

There is a tremendous potential for production of buffalo meat

through fattening of buffalo calves and those with low yielding
potential and unfit for breeding.

The tail is well set on, broad at the base and tapering at ends at the fetlock
or just below it in a big tuft of hair which may tail on the ground.
The udder is well developed, extending far forward and backward.
The teats are long, even and squarely placed and the milk veins are prominent.
The average Nili-Ravi female weighs about 656 kg and male
about 783 kg.

The demand for buffalo has increased primarily because consumers

perceive it to have low cholesterol and more lean meat.
According to some estimates about 6-7 million buffalo calves if raised on
balance diet could double the meat production.
Many trials on feed lot fattening have been conducted to exploit
fattening potential of buffalo male calves.
The results have shown that Nili Ravi buffalo calves have daily weight gain of
500 -900 grams per day.

Objective
Objective

Strategy Program

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Role of
individual
stake holder

Improvement
in milk
production

Selective
breeding

Buffalo herds/
breeders: 100
for the first
year, followed
by 30/annum

BRI

BRI: Registration
of buffalo
breeders/
animals

1.

2.

Formation of
Buffalo
Breeder
Association in
collaboration
with BRI,
Pattoki,
L&DD Deptt
Registration
of buffalo
breeders/
animals

BBA

BBA:
Identification of
the proper
breeding stock/
breeders in the
respective
districts.

Strategy Program
Partial Milk
Production
Recording

Target/
Timeframe

Action Role of individual

by
stake holder

Monthly morning,
evening recording
for lactation yields

BRI

BRI: Performance
recording and
monitoring of
registered animals
under Progeny Testing
Program of BRI.

BBA

BBA/Breeders:
Performance recording
of registered animals
by the breeders under
the monitoring of BBA

Objective Strategy Program

Identification of
elite animals in
the milk recorded
farms

Objective

Improvement in
Reproductive
Efficiency

Strategy

Reducing
age at 1st
calving &
reduction
in calving
interval

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Role of
individual
stake holder

Through
genetic
evaluation for
standard
lactation milk
yield; type and
fat as traits to
be added in the
years to come

BRI/
BBA

BRI/ BBA:
i) Data analysis
and evaluation of
registered
animals

Program

Objective Strategy Program Target/

Timeframe

Calf
Raising

ii) Monitoring of
breeding for elite
animals with
proven bull
semen

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Role of
individual stake
holder

Expanding
Progeny
Testing
Program

Military
farms also
need to be
added along
with
registered
farms

BRI

BRI: Data
evaluation of
Military Farms
(Khyber & Punjab)
as per letter of
agreement signed.
RV& FC: Data
recording and
coordination with
BRI.

Reproductive
performance

Government
farms and
registered
farms
through
improved
extension
services

BRI

DBI/
DLDC

BRI: Research on
improvement in
reproductive
efficiency.
DBI/DLDC:
Extension of
technology
package
(developed by BRI)
to the farmers

1) CRC at LES
Bhunikey is
completed

Action
by

Role of individual
stake holder

BRI

BRI: Purchase of male

calves from BRI
registered breeders
under defined selection
criteria

ii) CRC at LES.,

BBA
Haroonabad &
Chak Katora are
under development
phase.

Objective

Strategy

Program

Breed
Development

Maintenance Establishment
of Nucleus
of breed
Herds
specific farms
in public and
private sector

BBA: Provision of young

calves to BRI/ DBI for
semen collection on
shared basis.
Coordination in the
selection of male calves.

Target/
Timeframe

Actio Role of individual

n by stake holder

Identification
of Nili and
Ravi breeds

BRI/
BBA

BRI: Coordination
with BBA for
identification of breed
specific farms
BBA: Coordination
with BRI for
identification of
specific breed farms
in private and public
sector
DBI: Coordination
with BRI and BBA etc.

Objective Strategy

1. Embryo
Transfer
Technology/
IVF
2. CryopreserCryopreservation of
semen

Program

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Role of individual
stake holder

Research to
develop
protocol for
ETT/ IVF in
buffalo

Military Dairy
Farms,
Nucleus
herds of DLF,
BRI and LPRI

BRI/BBA

BRI/BBA:
Conduction of trials
and coordination
with RV&FC, UVAS
& UAF

DLF

DLF: Coordination
with RV&FC for the
conduction of trials

RV&FC

RV&FC: Conduction
of 10 trials per year
at Military Farms
and coordination
with BRI and DLF.
DBI:
Cryopreservation of
semen at SPUs

Objective

Strategy

Program

Target/
Timeframe

Salvation
of Superior
buffalo

Discouraging of
slaughtering of
breeding buffalo
in Karachi and
Hyderabad

Subsidy on
PR
Railways
transportation
of animals
back to Punjab
L&DD

DBI

Objective Strategy
Objective Strategy Program

Salvation
of
Orphan
calves of
Superior
buffalo

Discouraging of
slaughtering
orphan calves of
Superior
buffaloes sent
to Karachi and
Hyderabad

Action
by

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Role of individual stake

holder

Encouraging
BRI
farmers to
sell buffaloes
in later
BBA
parities

BRI: Farmers training for

awareness of this program

Farmer
education &
implementaimplementation of
slaughter
control act
for breed
able
buffaloes/
Orphan
calves

L&DD:
(i) Farmers education at
Punjab level
(ii) Implementation of
slaughter act at Punjab
level.
BRI: Coordinate with DLF
for saving Orphan calves.

L&DD

BBA: Coordination with BRI

and farmers for
implementation of this
target

Expansion of
buffalo
breeder
association

Program

Target/
Timeframe

Organizing
Cash awards
milk
and other
competitions
incentives
and buffalo
shows at
district and
provincial level

Role of
individual stake
holder
PR: Provision of
subsidy on
transportation of
animals
L&DD: Preparation
of case of subsidy
for transportation
of animals back to
Punjab and
sending the case
to the Pakistan
Railway

Action
by

Role of
individual stake
holder

BBA/BRI

BBA/BRI: BBA in
coordination with
BRI.

Objective Strategy
Objective Strategy Program

i) Development
of district units
of buffalo
breeders
association
ii) Income
generating
sources for the
sustainability of
buffalo breeders
association

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Establishment Distt.
of model for
Govt.
Veterinary
Services
Network at
district level
DAH
to improve
buffalo
breeders
association

Role of individual
stake holder
Distt. Govt.: Provision of
funds for purchase of
medicines, equipment and
vaccines for animals
DAH: Purchase of
medicines, vaccines etc.
and provision of staff for
necessary service

Abbreviations:
Abbreviations
AI: Artificial Insemination

ETT: Embryo Transfer Technology

BBA: Breeders Association

IVF: In Vitro Fertilization

BRI:
BRI: Buffalo Research Institute, Pattoki
District Kasur

L&DD: Livestock & Dairy Development

CRC: Calf Raising Centre

PR: Pakistan Railways

DAH: Directorate of Animal Health

RV& FC:
FC: Remount Veterinary & Farms
Corps

DBI: Directorate of Breed Improvement

(new name for directorate of LPE & AI)

UVAS: University of Veterinary and Animal

Sciences, Lahore

DLDC:
DLDC: District Livestock Development
Centers

DLF: Directorate of Livestock Farms

Program

Target/
Timeframe

Action
by

Development
of buffalo
breeds
associations

Organization at
BBA
district &
Province level for
augmenting
breed
improvement

Role of individual
stake holder
BBA:
i) Identity specific
breeders with specific
breeds
ii) Development of
buffalo herd book