Sabah to be leader in buffalo breeding

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Dr Yeo exchanging documents with Dr Norihan, witnessed by Yahya (third right), Wilfred (third left) and other officials during the MoU signing ceremony.

Dr Yeo exchanging documents with Dr Norihan, witnessed by Yahya (third right), Wilfred (third left) and other officials during the MoU signing ceremony.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is set to become a leading buffalo research and breeding centre in the country, according to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin.

Yahya said, the State’s intention to emerge as a leading buffalo research and breeding hub in the country is being realized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project to improve the productivity of livestock buffalo farm through refurbished husbandry practices.

He said the MoU between the National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia (IBM), the Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industries Sabah (JPHPT) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) would be beneficial to all parties involved in the rearing of buffalo in Sabah.

“Buffalo ranch is less emphasized, therefore the signing of this MoU is in line with the 11th Malaysia Plan in Sabah which focuses on the development of ruminant livestock.

“Buffalo is an animal that is important and valuable, not only used as a source of red meat but as animal of labour in rice fields and palm plantations. In terms of growth, the livestock industry in Sabah is still relatively slow, in addition to a number of constraints such as the number of stocks, productivity, low reproductive capacity, high mortality and slaughter of livestock has slowed down the growth,” he said.

Yahya, who is also the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, said that traditional farmers who own most of the livestocks were also facing various problems such as thefts and the usage of old and less effective technology.

The rapid pace of technology development in agriculture has led to the gradual phasing out of traditional methods of livestock breeding and eventually allowed buffaloes to roam without rigorous management.

However, the collaboration between the parties involved in developing and researching of buffaloes in Sabah at the Buffalo Research and Breeding Centre in Telupid would be expected to give good results, he said.

“It is understood that this research have been started earlier and the results were very positive in the increment of in ‘body scoring’, rates of pregnancy and birth as well as decline in the death rate.

“This success allows JPHPT to expand the scope of research to create a ‘nucleus herd’ of buffalo with a grant of RM2.1 million from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI),” he said, at the opening of a seminar on buffalo breeding and the MoU signing on enhancing the productivity of buffaloes through modification of practices, here yesterday.

Earlier, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI), Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau, said the buffaloes are potential producer of milk and cited that the original mozzarella cheese is made from buffalo milk.

“The government is targeting local beef production by 50 per cent of the country’s needs by 2020. The country is currently producing 28 to 30 percent of beef and buffalo equivalent of 170,000 metric tons, a reduction of 70 percent will allow the country to cope with having to import meat from abroad.

“Recognizing the importance and potential to contribute to the needs of buffalo meat, the IBM together JPHPT and UPM have started research work on buffalo field that includes aspects of nutrition, breeding, and health,” he said.

This research involves buffalo genetic improvement and accelerate spacing from two years to one year and a half year to increase the production of buffalo breeds, Wilfred added.

Also present were the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry permanent secretary, Ahmad Haji Awg. Hashim; JPHPT director Datuk Dr Yeo Boon Kiat; UPM deputy chancellor, Prof. Dato Dr. Husaini Omar; UPM Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Prof. Dr. Mohd Hair Bejo, and NIBM-ABI Research Director, Prof. Dr. Norihan Mohd Saleh.