Punjab is home to about 39.99 lakh buffaloes and 25.32 lakh cattle (2019). This is just 2.16 per cent of total population of dairy animals in India. Dairy animals in Punjab produced about 11.85 MT of milk which is 6.72 per cent of total milk produced in the country in 2017-18. This shows that the state of Punjab is a dairy rich state in India and this richness is ever increasing. The contribution of livestock sector to agriculture and allied GDP in the state increased from Rs 7,884 crore (29.60 %) during 2000-01 to Rs 43,261 crore (37.65 %) during 2017-18. The per capita availability of milk in the state was 1120 g/day in 2017-18 which was highest in the country. Thus, livestock sector as a whole has immense potential of bettering farmer’s income in Punjab besides improving his family nutrition and occupancy.
Buffalo husbandry has tremendous scope in Punjab. The state is bestowed with two best breeds of buffalo i.e. Murrah and Nili Ravi. The buffalo contributed more than 72% to the total milk production of the state as compared to 49.1% at National level (2016-17). However, buffalo milk production is scattered in to small operations across the state. The commercial farming of buffalo for milk production is mostly concentrated around big cities. As pressure on profitability increases, the consolidation and commercialization of buffalo dairy farming will eventually happen. The mechanization is possible only if herd size is large. The state has traditional culture and knowledge about buffalo husbandry and these animals are an integral part of our folklore. Resistance to local diseases, parasites and heat stress are some of the characteristics of buffalo which make them adapted to state climatic conditions. The biggest advantage of buffalo farming is that there is no restriction on its slaughter; consequently, it does not yield any stray buffalo.
If one is having sufficient capital, land and possesses keen interest in animal related activities, one can venture into buffalo farming. However, one needs to have close look at following tips.
1. Before starting any venture, one must have sufficient technical know-how in that field. Technical knowledge related to all the important aspects of buffalo farming is being imparted by Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, and State Department of Dairy Development. So, one must acquire technical knowledge from these institutes before starting a new venture in buffalo farming.
2. The person who is interested to start this business must have a special liking for buffaloes. If he has no interest in them, it is better not to start this venture.
3. Absentee farmer cannot make dairy farming a successful vocation. It is mandatory for the farmer to be present at the farm throughout the day or at least at the time of concentrate feeding and milking. His presence at these two occasions will definitely prevent any pilferage of concentrate ration (Input) and milk (Output). The owner or his stockman also has to keep a strict vigil at the time of calving and also when any of the animals suffer from a problem of placental retention and uterine prolapse. Therefore, owner’s presence at the FARM is must.
4. Any new venture will also require availability of raw material. For buffalo farming, animals of good pedigree, ingredients for making concentrate ration and green fodder in sufficient quantity will be needed.
5. The farmer has to decide beforehand the breed of the animal which he intends to raise. The geographical location of the farm will mostly determine this choice. Murrah breed is mandated as the first choice for central and south-western districts of Punjab while it is Nili-Ravi for border districts of the state.
6. From business point of view, it is better to start a new buffalo farm with ten adult units. When one gains some experience, one can increase the strength of the herd in due course of time.
7. For profitable farming, farmers are always advised to keep only high yielding buffaloes. The daily peak milk yield of buffalo must not be less than 12 liters.
8. The animals must be purchased only after ensuring their milk yield potential through at least three consecutive milkings. Always try to procure animals from existing and well established farms. Avoid purchasing animals from animal fares. It will be ideal to purchase an animal when she is in second lactation. It will still be better if there is a female calf at foot.
9. Always try to procure animals when the environment is comfortable and green fodders are available in plenty. This period coincides with two festivals i.e. period between Rakhi and Vaisakhi festivals. Latent diseases can flare-up in animals purchased during scarcity of green fodder or when the climate is harsh. Summer stress and deficiency of certain minerals and vitamins can increase our woes. Occasionally, it becomes very difficult to even save the life of the diseased animal. Under such situations, farmer faces huge economic losses even before the dairy farm gets fully established. This, often, disheartens the farmer.
10. In the profession of buffalo farming, land will be required for two purposes – for construction of animal shed and for cultivating fodders.
11. The animal shed should always be constructed at a convenient place. It will be better if the animal shed is nearer a big city. It will be easier to carry milk to the city. At the same time, raw material can be brought to the farm with relative ease.
Following points should be kept in mind before constructing a new shed.
- The shed should be constructed sufficiently away from human population. It should be at least 100 yards away from nearby Highway. The site should always be easily approachable especially during rainy season. There should not be high voltage wires running above the shed.
- The shed should be constructed at a site where ample sunlight and fresh air is available. There should be least possibility of damages due to fire, floods, storms, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes etc.
- The shed should not be constructed in low-lying areas where rain water gets collected or where garbage is being dumped. The level of the shed should be at least two feet higher that the surrounding areas for easy disposal of urine and dung.
- The shed should be constructed on scientific lines. Its size should be according to the herd strength; however, there must be scope of extension. The long axis of the shed should always be directed towards East-West direction. The manger should be towards North side. The southern end should be open. The manger should be 2½-3 feet wide. It should have curved flooring. There should not be any cracks in the floor of the manger. One adult animal needs a space of four feet on the manger i.e. a manger 40 feet long will be sufficient for 10 adult buffaloes.
- The floor of the shed should be durable, non slippery, easily washable, uniform and damp proof.
- The implement shed and store for feed ingredients should be in the North. The latter should be damp proof.
- The shed must have a fence or compound-wall at least five feet in height and it must be free from any kind of holes. This will prevent the entry of stray animals, dogs, snakes and mongooses into the farm.
- Make full use of the existing trees. If need be, plant new shady trees especially mulberry tree, Pilkan or Dek in the paddock or alongside compound-wall especially on southern end.
- It will still be better to construct a new animal shed at the farm-house itself. Members of the family can get engaged in the day-to-day activities of the buffalo farm especially milking and bathing of animals, harvesting, chaffing and disbursement of green fodder, cleaning of the sheds etc. This will save lot of labour cost especially in the initial stages. Moreover, the tube well meant for agricultural purposes can be put to effective use by employing its water in the animal sheds.
12. The land meant for fodder cultivation must be levelled and easily irrigable. Its soil should have high fertility status. One acre of cultivable land is sufficient to raise five adult buffaloes. The fodders grown on low-fertility soils will be deficient in one or the other mineral element. This will lead to deficiency of that particular element in buffaloes causing huge economic losses through lowered production and reproduction. Therefore, it is advisable to get the soil tested for fertility status before sowing any fodder crop. In case of any deficiency, first improve the soil status by employing suitable fertilizer. Injudicious and excessive use of chemical fertilizers, unnecessary spray of insecticides/pesticides must be avoided at any cost.
13. One must cultivate leguminous and non-leguminous fodder crops together. This will increase the quality (nutritive value) of the fodder in bulk. For Rabi season, the clovers (Egyptian, Persian or Indian) and lucerne (alfalfa) are the main leguminous crops and oats, barley and rye grass are the main non-leguminous fodder crops. For kharif season, maize, sorghum, millet, sudex, teosinte Sudan grass, Napier grass and Guinea grass are the main non-leguminous crops while cow peas and guara are the main leguminous crops.
14. Certain implements are necessary for the smooth running of the farm. Initially, diesel engine, chaffing machine, milking buckets, sickles, spades/shovels, stanchions, milk cans etc. will be needed. However, with extension in the herd size, one may have to acquire milking machine, grinder, mixer, milk chilling tank, tractor-trolley etc.
15. It will be a better preposition if the buffaloes are not fed branded feeds. Always try to procure different ingredients from the market, then, compound your own feed according to the status of the animal. The local market should be exploited first. All the ingredients should not be purchased from a single trader. Develop a habit of first acquiring quotations from at least three four traders. This way, you can come to know the price i.e. actual worth, of that particular commodity. Then, try to establish the quality of that commodity. It will still be better to get the item tested chemically from a reputed laboratory. Then, rate should be established according to the quality of that commodity. When the ingredients are required in bulk, they should be procured from the area where they are produced as staples like maize from Himachal Pradesh, sorghum from Rajasthan. Seasonal items may be purchased when they are in glut.
16. According to university recommendations, one labourer is required for every ten adult buffaloes. Local villagers or migrant labourers may be employed at the farm. It is not advisable to have full faith in the migrant labourers. At the same time, the local villagers can steal the raw material from your farm. Thus, you have to have strict vigil in the farm at all occasions. In large commercial farms, the number of labourers could be quite large. To have a check on these labourers, you need to employ a supervisor. One supervisor is sufficient for 30 labourers.
17. Sudden death of any animal in the herd can lead to huge economic losses. Therefore, it is advisable to get all the animals insured.
18. Income from agriculture is tax-free; however, income from dairy farming is taxable. Therefore, it is mandatory to file Income-Tax Return every year before 31st
19. Starting a new farm or extension of the existing farm needs lot of financial liability. Saved money from the farm or any other business or family income can be put to effective use through buffalo farming. If more money is needed, loan from local commercial bank may be got sanctioned. Loan from local commission agents or any other private agency may be avoided at any cost since their rate of interest is quite high. It is also essential to utilize loan money for dairy purposes only; otherwise it will become very difficult to repay the loan.
20. In dairy farming one has to decide before hand where to sell milk. Since milk is a perishable item, it has to be disposed of as soon as possible. Co-operative Societies, organized private sector, milkmen and halwais are the main agencies who procure raw milk. Milk can also be sold to consumers directly. The latter method can fetch you more returns. It will still be better to form a small co-operative group of dairy farmers at local level. The milk, thus, collected can be brought to a big city where you can earn and save lot of money out of the same milk produced at the farm. It will further increase your profit if you start selling milk products like curd, cheese, butter, butter milk, butter oil etc.
21. Dung produced at the farm can be put to effective use through gobar gas (Biogas) plant. This can save lot of money spent on LPG or any other fuel. Moreover, the slurry produced from gobar gas plant can be used as such in the fields as manure. It will not lead to problem of termite infestation in the fields. Engine set or even an electric generator can also be run on gobar Thus, one can generate electricity to cater to the needs of one’s own household or the neighborhood also.
Even if one is not interested to set up gobar gas plant, one can preserve dung in a manure pit which can later on be used as farm yard manure in the fields.
22. There must a first-aid kit (or Emergency Kit) ever-ready at the farm. This kit contains some very basic but very important things like bandages, ointments for wounds, normal saline bottles, adhesive tapes, adsorbent cotton, a pair of scissors, hand gloves, trocar and canula, hypodermic needles and syringes, thermometer, halter, ropes for restraining the animal, edible vegetable oils, activated charcoal, fire extinguisher, torch, pliers, tarpaulin etc.
23. One also needs to keep each and every record at the farm so as to know whether the dairy farm is running with profit or loss.
These points may prove beneficial for the farmers for starting a new buffalo farm.
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