Guru Angad Dev vet varsity hosts national symposium to chart the future of buffalo farming

The Directorate of Extension Education, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, organised a national symposium on “Buffalo Farming for Tomorrow: Policy, Practice and Potential.” The event gathered policymakers, researchers, industry leaders and progressive farmers to discuss the future of buffalo farming in India, with a special focus on Punjab.

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Dr JPS Gill, Vice-Chancellor, delivered the presidential address. The symposium was chaired by Dr Ravinder Singh Grewal, Director of Extension Education. Dr Gill unveiled the university’s vision of developing a comprehensive roadmap for buffalo rearing improvement. He announced that the university’s dedicated Buffalo Research Centre at Tarn Taran would be inaugurated next month, to drive innovation and research. He called for reducing age at first calving and developing value-added products like

mozzarella cheese and traditional sweets.

Dr Grewal highlighted that while the global buffalo population was declining, the productivity per animal was rising, reflecting efficiency and sustainability, in line with trends in the USA, Germany and New Zealand.

A presentation by the university experts outlined key challenges and opportunities, describing buffaloes as a source of pride in Punjab. Issues such as high calf mortality, lack of branding, weak breeding policy and gaps in milking and nutrition technology were discussed. The experts proposed launching a buffalo broiler mission to create high-value products and emphasised the lower water footprint and environmental advantage of buffaloes.

S Kuldeep Singh Jassowal, Director, Punjab Dairy Development Board, shared state initiatives in animal insurance and marketing buffalo-based products, commending the university for fostering the dialogue.

Dr Parminder Singh, Additional Director Extension Education, served as the organizing secretary, with co-organizing secretary Dr Jaswinder Singh and convenor Dr Ravdeep Singh.

In two technical sessions, experts covered subjects of breeding, production, health, milk processing and buffalo meat opportunities. Experts stressed separate collection and packaging of buffalo milk, low-cost purity testing, value addition and strategies to boost meat production.

An open house discussion featured inputs from Dr Sujoy Dhara, Dr RK Sharma, Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar; S Daljit Singh Gill Progressive Dairy Farmers Association; Sandeep Singh Randhawa, Punjab Livestock Farmers Association; Sherbaj Singh, Luxmi Dairy Farm; Dr Rupinder Singh Sekhon (Milkfed); Dr Navdeep Dham (Baani Milk); and Dr Amanpreet Singh Sidhu; progressive farmers and other stakeholders.