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Utility of buffalo and cattle - milk versus meat
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Monday, 02 November, 2015, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Dr Rajinder Singh
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fiogf49gjkf0d Livestock, especially buffalo and cattle, provide major employment in India. Rural people get income and employment opportunities through milk. It also gives draft animal power, dung and other byproducts such as skin, hides and bones.
Though Indian cows were medium milk producers in the past, the Hariana breed of cattle was primarily developed for draft. With large irrigation facilities and mechanisation of agriculture, the importance of draft animal power has significantly reduced. There is a large cross breeding of Hariana breed with exotic dairy breeds specially the Holistion Frisian. Efforts have now been made both by Central and state governments for sustainable management and conservation of Hariana breed. However milk is major product from large ruminant live stock viz cattle and buffaloes. Murrah is the world’s most important breed of buffalo. Haryana has contributed the germplasm of Murrah to most of the countries in the world where buffaloes are maintained for milk/ meat.
There has been gradual reduction in the population of cattle, primarily due to decline in use of bullocks from the breed. In spite of ban on the sale of buffalo in the state, for high producing buffaloes, to ensure at least two female / male calves should be retained i.e. from1st to 2rd lactation, and thus the genetic erosion of breed will not take place. However the legal provision is not followed. A large number of buffaloes in the first and second lactation are being sold to people who take them to large metropolitan cites for providing milk at higher cost to city people. Ultimately both buffaloes and their calves are disposed off entirely for meat and there is large erosion of genetically superiors. Further since the male calves of high producing buffaloes especially those used for producing milk in metropolitan cities are virtually starved to death, this leads to erosion of large superior germplasm.
Regarding genetic drain a survey was conducted at Rohtak and adjoining area which is famous for world renowned Murrah buffalo breeding in order to find out the impact on the economy of the farmers of the area. For this purpose, data was collected from registered truck union and loading books of railways. Data reveals that more than 25,000 to 70,000 Murrah buffaloes including their calves are taken away towards uncertain future every year. This causes acute shortage of elite and pure breed in area particulars. This heavy drain out of buffalo from the area will be major danger to the economy of smallholders and landless farmers in particular in the coming future.
The buffaloes destination areas are mainly Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Central India (MP, UP) mainly Jabalpur, Raipur, Banaras, AP and Telangana (mainly Hyderabad, Warangal, Nellore) and Kolkata. From this genetic drain, we have lost our top 25% of the best genotype.
It is also concluded with this survey that maximum number of buffaloes exported in the month of August, September and November may be due to calving season. The minimum number of buffaloes transported during the month of April may be due to fall of dry period. Majority of the buffaloes sent to Kolkata are second-grade buffaloes whereas first-grade buffaloes are sent to Mumbai and other parts of the country like the states of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Mostly these buffaloes are first, second and third calver and of Haryana origin. These are elite buffaloes, more than 15 kg milk producers that can meet the demand of the metros.
Loss of accompanying calf, loss due to slaughter after drying is alarming. The drain leads to negative selection, change in micro climate leading to deterioration in other places. Buffaloes sent to nearby states like Delhi, UP and Rajasthan are four times more than the registered through small trucks and four wheelers. This marketing of buffaloes gives good price during the month of February and March due to great demand of buffaloes for metropolitan cities. It ensures regular supply of milk in the summer months. Buffalo price is maximum in the month of April to June due to limited number of buffaloes in milk and scarcity of fodder locally. A good number of buffaloes are also sent out in the month of January may be due to further supply of milk in summer months. Adoption of malpractices in sale, purchase of buffaloes by middleman is another area of concern.
The second home scenario of Murrah buffaloes
The Murrahs from Haryana reach metros and cities like Hyderabad, where they are kept in tabelas to thrive in most pathetic living conditions in terms of housing space, feeding, watering, milking and so on. The calves, which succeed to reach destinations, start dying in these narrow bylanes. Very rarely these calves survive till the end of lactation and it is in the interest of the owner who does not want to waste milk on calf feeding. The buffalo queen of Haryana which lived on lush green fields, swam in large water ponds, fed on high quality green fodder and concentrates, starts its new life in a paddock hardly sufficient to lie down, no moving space, scarce or no green fodder, fed mostly on dry kadbi /rice straw and so on and low quality concentrates.
Practically no breeding artificial or natural takes place in these tabelas and majority of buffaloes remain open till the end of lactation. When the dooms day arrives, the black beauty Murrah from Haryana is sold to slaughter. Few of these buffaloes, which succeed to conceive, are sold to second round cities or villages where farmers rear it during gestation and sell it back to metros after calving. The cycle repeats shuttling these buffaloes across Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur and so on before it ends its journey in a slaughter house.
Indian buffalo meat exports, according to APEDA
The Indian meat sector has been growing very fast and the buffalo meat export during the year 2013-14 was 14, 49,758.64 MT worth Rs 26457.79 crore. Buffalo meat export destinations are Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Arab Republic, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. It is manufactured in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, UP and Punjab. The major exporters are Hind Agro Industries, Al Kabeer and Al Noor Exports. On an average, it is growing at the rate of 15-35% per annum.
President of India gave a nod for beef ban in Maharashtra. Cow slaughter was already banned under Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976. However the new Act will ban the slaughter of bulls as well as bullocks. It is going to cause a steep rise in the slaughter of buffaloes to cater to the need of consumers specially those who demand carabeef. It is seen as inferior quality meat that makes almost 25 per cent of total beef market in the state.
It is going to reduce the number of quality milk animals that is alarming for milk consumers. Milk animals must be saved in time in order to face future threat. It is milk versus meat.
(The author is senior extension specialist/ professor (animal sciences),
Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Rohtak. He can be contacted at raja.udaybhar@gmail.com)
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