Current Scenario of Buffalo Rearing and Production Performance in the Coastal Belt of Bangladesh

The aim of the study was to evaluate the socioeconomic status of the buffalo farmers and production performance of non-descriptive buffalo in the selected coastal belt of Bangladesh. Randomly selected 150 farmers from three upazilas in the Bhola districts participated in face-to-face interviews. The level of schooling of the farmers was up to primary (65.33%) and secondary (26.00%). Around half of the farmers (45.33%) were aged below 30 years, and among them, 84.00% of the farmers were male. Agriculture (79.33%) was the main occupation of the farmers. Most of the farmers (94.67%) used river/canal water to wallowing of their buffaloes. In this area, 85.33% of buffaloes were fed through grazing. Average milk production was 1.59 l/day/buffalo. The average lactation length was 184.54 day. Total milk production was 269.03 l/lactation period. Farmers did not keep a record of their buffalo (100%). In conclusion, better husbandry practices are essential for improving the performance of non-descriptive buffaloes in the coastal belt of Bangladesh.

Introduction

Buffaloes have long been important for agriculture in Bangladesh. They are mainly used for draught power, whereas milk and meat are secondary products. Most buffaloes are local, non-descriptive, and there have no defined breed [1]. The native buffaloes in Bangladesh, known as Bubalus bubalis, primarily belong to the riverine type, although there are some swamp types in the eastern part of the country, and crossbreds such as Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Surti, and Jaffrabadi are commonly found near the Indian border in Bangladesh [2]. Farmers in Bangladesh, especially those in coastal, river basin, and semi-arid regions, use different management systems to sustain their livestock production. In the context of buffalo rearing, milk production, and the use of buffaloes for drought power, three primary management systems are employed: extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive. In the livestock economy of Bangladesh, buffaloes, also known as “Black Gold,” serve an important part, with cattle as a major source of milk, meat, drought power, hides and skins [3]. The buffalo population in Bangladesh is estimated at 1.56 million [4] and the coastal region have about 40% of the total buffalo population [5]. The buffalo population is increasing in response to the growing demand for milk and meat in the country over time [3], [6]. Buffalo farming systems vary widely in Bangladesh due to soil type, climate and socioeconomic opportunities [7]. Buffaloes are extensively reared in the coastal and North-Eastern hilly regions of Bangladesh, where large pastures and ample green fodder are accessible. Buffaloes are usually reared semi-intensively in plains and swampy areas with limited grazing land. In these systems, animal care is often poor and there is no proper housing, artificial insemination, vaccination, or record-keeping. Good reproduction is essential to make buffalo farming more productive and profitable. The success of milk production in buffaloes mainly depends on their reproductive efficiency, which is a key factor in the economics of dairy farming. Milk production and reproductive performance of buffaloes are adversely affected by both increasing temperature in summer and a sharp decrease in temperature in winter [8]. The economic income from dairy buffaloes is based on their lifelong production [9]. However, the productive performance of buffalo in Bangladesh remains unrealized because of insufficient expertise in farming, high nutrition expenses, and cheap milk prices, which are considered the first-, second-, and third-place obstacles in buffalo milk production [10]. A disruption in the normal functioning of the reproductive system causes sterility or infertility in buffaloes, which results in extended dry periods and calving intervals, and reduced calving and lactation yield over time on earth of animals [11]. The profitability of buffaloes is influenced by their reproductive and productive performance as well as the efficiency of their management systems [12], [13]. A large number of buffaloes were found in the Bhola district. Traditional methods are used to rear most buffaloes; however, information on the socioeconomic status of buffalo farmers, husbandry practices, and production performance in non-descriptive buffaloes is scarce in the coastal belt of Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate the socioeconomic status of buffalo farmers and husbandry practices of non-descriptive buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), along with their production performance.

Materials and Methods

Site and Period of Experiment

The current study was conducted in the coastal region of Bangladesh, namely Bhola Sadar, Lalmohan, and Char Fassion Upazila, under the Bhola district (22° 41’ 15.32″ N and 90° 38’ 38.51″ E), which has a high buffalo population density. The study was carried out in the above mentioned and selected areas of Bhola District, Bangladesh, from September to November 2023.

Questionnaire Design and Data Collection

A standard questionnaire was developed based on the current situation of buffalo husbandry practices in the Bhola District. The questionnaire was pre-tested before the survey started, and face-to-face interviews with the farmers were conducted using a questionnaire that was clear, concise, and simple enough for the respondents to understand it. The respondents received a clear explanation of the study objectives, and non-descriptive buffaloes were the resource population of this study. The data were collected from 150 buffalo farmers.

Statistical Analysis

After completion of data collection, the collected data were collated, tabulated, and coded before analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative data were converted from local units to standard units. All productive and reproductive data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS (2025).

Results and Discussion

Livestock Population

The livestock population per farmer is shown in Fig. 1. Buffalo population was found to be higher at around 21 per farmer compared to others. Cow and goat were almost equal in numbers, 5 per farmer. However, sheep population per farmer was the lowest, only 3 on average.

Fig. 1. Livestock population per Farm-house.

Socio-Economic Status of the Buffalo Farmers

The socio economic status of the Buffalo Farmers is presented in Table I. A total of 84.00% of farmers were male and 16.00% were female. Respondents were categorized into four age groups: ≤30 years, 31–45 years, 46–60 years and >60 years. Farmers were found in all age groups. In this study, we found that about 45.33% of farmer’s age was up to 30 years. The majority of the farmers (65.33%) had finished primary education, and about 26.00% of the farmers had above secondary. Agriculture was the main occupation of the buffalo farmers (about 79.33%) than the other occupations (Goash 14.00% and rakhal 6.67% respectively). According to Hasan et al. [14] who found that the highest percentage of buffalo farm owners aged between 30–45 years (42.85%), 37.14% between 30–45 years and 20% are below 30 years. Approximately 17.14% of farm owners rely primarily on buffalo farming for their income, whereas the majority engages in a combination of buffalo farming along, cropping, fishing, or running a small business. The findings of Hasan et al. [14] were similar to those of the current study.

Table I. Socio Economic Status of the Farmers

Parameters	Categories	Number of farmers (n = 150)	Percentage (%)
Sex of farmers	Male	126	84.00
	Female	24	16.00
Age	Up to 30 years	68	45.33
	31–45 years	43	28.67
	46–60 years	25	16.67
	>60 years	14	9.33
Level of schooling	Primary	98	65.33
	Secondary	39	26.00
	Above secondary	13	8.67
Occupation	Farmer	119	79.33
	Goash	21	14.00
	Rakhal	10	6.67

Feeding System of Buffalo

The buffalo feeding practices are listed in Table II. Approximately 94.67% of buffaloes were taken wallowing traditionally and only 5.33% used pond water for wallowing. About 85.33% of buffaloes depend on natural grazing, while 14.67% of buffaloes graze on spread-out pastures with rice straw, and none of them use any feed technology. Extensive rearing systems with open pasturing are mostly preferred by buffaloes, according to Amin et al. [15], which was in line with the results of the present investigation 54.28% of buffaloes were dependent on natural grazing. Only 37.14% of buffaloes were fed on open pasture with paddy straw, and 8.57% of buffaloes were fed with dry roughage and green grass. The highest percentage, based on the nature of feeding practices, was estimated to resemble the findings of Hasan et al. [14].

Table II. Record Keeping and Feeding Practices of Buffalo

Parameters	Number of farmers with categories
	Number of farmers (n = 150)	Percentage (%)
Record keeping
•Yes	0	0.00
•No	150	100
Water source for wallowing
•River/canal water	142	94.67
•Pond water	8	5.33
Feeding practices
•Open grazing	128	85.33
•Open grazing with paddy straw	22	14.67

Productive Performance of Buffalo

Table III indicates the productive performance of buffalo where we found that average milk production was 1.59 l/d/buffalo in that study area. In the current research, the mean milk production is similar to the results of Patil et al. [16] described that the average daily milk production was 3.5 liters. During the lactation period, 269.03 liters of milk were produced on average. The non-Descript buffalo study area had an average lactation length 184.55 days. According to Paul et al. [17], non-descript buffalo at Pirojpur and Borguna had average lactation lengths of 286.12 ± 11.27 days and 290.44 ±1 0.92 days, respectively. The results of this study disagreed with those of Hasan et al. [14], who found that the average length of lactation in dairy buffalo was found higher between 220 and 260 days. A dry period of cows was found to be highest (73.01%) under six to seven months, with an average birth gap ranging from 450 to 550 days and an estimated milk production of 2 l to 4 l per day per buffalo in both herds. Karim et al. [18] results which was partially consistent with the current study, showed that non-descript buffalo cows in Mathbaria upazila in Pirojpur district had an average daily milk yield of 3.33 ± 0.68 liters, a standard giving birth interval time of 547.92 ± 10 days, and a usual lactation period lasting 286.12 ± 11.27 days. Variances in food and nutritional requirements, climatic conditions, randomly selected samples, and management techniques between the buffaloes in the two distinct regions are some of the possible causes of such varible results between studies. The average gestation period of non-descript buffalo was 287.00 days. Paul et al. [17] found that the gestation period of buffaloes in Pirojpur and Borguna district was 319.12 ± 4.69 days and 319.70 ± 5.93 days, respectively. The results of this study are dissimilar to those of Paul et al. [17].

Table III. Production Performance of Buffalo

Parameters	(Mean ± SD)
Milk production/D/buffalo (L)	1.59 ± 0.22
Total milk production/lactation period (L)	269.03 ± 4.76
Lactation length (D)	184.55 ± 0.29
Gestation period (D)	287.00 ± 0.90
Dry period (D)	162.35 ± 0.43

Conclusion

It can be concluded that buffalo farmers in the coastal belt of Bangladesh primarily use traditional rearing methods. The productivity of these buffaloes was similar to that of other reported findings. To increase production, better breeding programs, proper housing, improved nutrition, and veterinary care are required. The government and NGOs should conduct detailed studies to identify challenges and solutions, such as providing disaster shelters (killas), grazing land, clean water sources, deworming, improved breeding policies, vaccination, veterinary care, and more AI facilities to reduce inbreeding. The performance of dairy buffaloes depends on their husbandry practices, choice of breeding bulls, the environment, and feed availability. Therefore, improving both management practices and the use of good biological resources are essential to boost buffalo production in the coastal belt of Bangladesh.

Acknowledgment

The authors are thankful to the buffalo farmers for proving the data.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.