The importance of buffalo in milk production and buffalo population in Serbia

Abstract

This research paper gives an analysis on the size of world?s domestic buffalo populations, their milk production and the size of buffalo population in Serbia. Population of domestic buffalo in the world is constantly increasing so that in 2013 there were 199 783 549 individuals, out of which in India in the same year they raised 57.77% of buffalo world population, in Pakistan 18.87%, and in China 11.64%. The share of total world production of buffalo milk in total world milk production in 2012 was 12.92 % or 97 417 135 t out of which 67.76% was produced in India. In Serbia buffalo is raised in the regions of Raska (about 1000 individuals) and Kosovo. Populations of buffalo in central Serbia show a tendency of decreasing in size what was the reason to start a programme of in situ conservation 10 years ago. On the sample of buffalo population encompassed by the programme of conservation the body measures were analysed indicating that the population of buffalo is quite unequalised and that average values obtained for exterior measures are similar to the results obtained by the authors of earlier period for the population of buffalo in the area of former Yugoslavia.