UP's pride: Bovine queens of Chambal

Archana Srivastava / TNN / Mar 12, 2008, 02:24 IST

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In the inhospitable ravines of Chambal, dacoits and buffaloes make a strange combination. But they co-exist.

LUCKNOW: In the inhospitable ravines of Chambal, dacoits and buffaloes make a strange combination. But they co-exist. The two have given Uttar Pradesh a distinct identity though for very diverse reasons. The dacoits have earned notoriety and the buffaloes have ensured a very special status for the state in the world. The reference is to the Bhadawari breed of buffaloes which are the hallmark of UP.
The fat content in the milk of the Bhadawari buffaloes is the highest in the world.In no other country does the milk of a bovine have a fat content ranging between 10-13 per cent per litre. Only the Bhadawaris have it.
The Bhadawaris are found in Etawah, Auraiya and Agra though their home tract extends to Bhind in Madhya Pradesh. Distinctly brown or copper in colour as against the usual black buffaloes elsewhere, the Bhadawaris survive in the most adverse circumstances undeterred by the hot climate and the inhospitable terrain which the Chambal ravines have. The weight of these buffaloes ranges between 250 and 300 kg which makes it easy for the cattle to graze in the ravines.
Senior veterinary officer of the animal husbandry department VK Singh said, "The number of pure Bhadawaris had shrunk to as low as 200 till a concerted effort was made to save the breed through a World Bank-aided breed conservation programme in 1998. The number has now risen to around 1000 as per the figures available till March, 2007."

The fall in the number of the pure Bhadawaris was largely on account of cross breeding with the Murrah buffaloes. It was encouraged by the farmers as the milk yield of the Bhadawaris is very low. It ranges between 500-700 litres per lactation period (300 days). The milk yield of the Murrah is higher. With quantity rather than quality being the yardstick for the farmers, the number of Bhadawari rapidly dwindled.
Nalnish Tewari, who has worked extensively on this breed in the UPDASP, animal husbandry and dairy development programme, said, "We selected a Bhadawari buffalo from the breeding farm at Etawah and brought it to the Gajaria farm in Lucknow. Artificial insemination was undertaken and presently there are four bulls for the purpose at the farm here." Tewari retired from his job three months back.

The efforts in this direction have ensured that Bhadawaris are now being sold at a premium. Earlier, a Bhadawari could be bought between Rs 4,000 and 5,000 and now the price ranges between Rs 10,000 and 15,000.
This breed has largely been responsible for giving Etawah a distinct name in the sphere of ghee and khoya production. Aficionados of ghee still swear by Etawah ghee. The district, in fact, has the biggest ghee mandi in the state.
Sources said that efforts are on to make cheese from the milk of Bhadawari buffaloes on account of its high fat content.

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