In a recent development, the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has recognized a breed of buffalo found in the Eastern Ghats and plateau of Koraput region in Orissa as the 19th unique breed of Buffaloes found in India.
These breed known as Manda Buffaloes are also found to be resistant to various parasites infections and less prone to diseases.
This buffalo germ-plasm was first identified through a detail survey conducted by the Animal Resource Development (ARD) department of Odisha in collaboration with Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).
Bishnupada Sethi, former ARD director and Susanta Kumar Dash, an animal geneticist of OUAT, who had played an important role in finding the due recognition for the breed, commented to the media that “with Manda buffalo recognized by NBAGR, it will be incumbent upon both Centre and State governments to devise a strategy for conservation of these buffaloes. Besides, research would be carried out to enhance buffaloes’ productivity through breeding strategy,” He has added now that the Manda being recognized by NBAGR it is responsibility of both centre and state government to work on the conservation of this breed.
“These buffaloes have ash grey and grey coat with copper-coloured hair. The lower part of the legs up to elbow is light in colour with copper colour hair at the knee. Some animals are silver white in colour…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,” the ARD department said.
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