Guwahati News Desk: Odisha’s Manda buffalo became the 19th recognized buffalo breed in India.
The buffalo which is seen in the hill ranges of Eastern Ghats and plateau of Koraput region in the state, got registered at the national level, and received the accession number ‘INDIA_BUFFALO_1500_MANDA_01019.
As per the sources, this particular buffalo germ-plasm was first identified by the fisheries and animal resources development (FARD) department in collaboration with the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).
Moreover, after conducting a detailed survey, the findings were sent to the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) for recognition of the indigenous unique buffalo-Manda at the national level.
In addition, the survey was conducted in 2009 under the leadership of Bishnupada Sethi, the then director of animal husbandry and veterinary services and Susanta Kumar Dash, professor in animal breeding and genetics .
Regarding the Manda buffaloes, they are small in size and are used for ploughing and other agricultural activities in Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts.
The ARD department said, “There are around 1,00,000 buffaloes of this breed in the native tract mostly contributing to the family nutrition of households and assisting in all the agricultural operations in the undulated hilly terrain for generations.”
Furthermore, after this registration, the state and the Centre aims to make efforts towards conserving this particular unique buffalo genetic resource of Odisha and also aim towards enhancing their productivity through breeding strategy. In addition, the governments have also asserted on helping in marketing the produce- milk, curd and ghee at a premium price resulting in the improvement of the livelihood of the stakeholders in the native tract.