Agriculture

India registers Manda buffalo for conservation as 19th breed

By BIG WIRE

Posted on February 16, 2023

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On February 16th, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Sri Narendra Singh Tomar, presided over a ceremony at the ICAR-NAAS complex in New Delhi.

The minister distributed the breed registration certificate of the Manda buffalo, a native breed of Odisha, to Professor Susanta Kumar Dash, the Head of the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology.

The Manda buffalo has officially become the 19th breed of buffalo in India, registered with the accession number of INDIA_BUFFALO_1500_MANDA_01019. The breed is known for its grayish-black to blackish-grey coat color, high disease resistance, and heat tolerance capacity.

It is a dual-purpose medium-sized animal that produces approximately 1.5 liters of milk per day. It is mainly used for all agricultural operations under undulated field conditions and has been the primary work animal in small holding farming systems in the Koraput region for generations.

The Manda buffalo was surveyed, characterized, and evaluated by the OUAT and F&ARD Department, Government of Odisha, under the leadership of Sri Bishnupada Sethi, the then-Director of AH & VS. Prof. Dash and Sri Sethi published a book on the Manda buffalo and claimed its national recognition in 2009.

The registration of the Manda buffalo as the 19th buffalo breed in India is a significant milestone that deserves attention towards its conservation and improvement. With the threat of climate change and the demand for organic and natural farming, the conservation of the Manda buffalo will not only support small holding farming systems but also contribute to biodiversity conservation as a whole.

Overall, the registration of the Manda buffalo is an important step towards preserving India’s diverse livestock heritage and supporting sustainable agriculture practices.