TO MEET the growing demand for carabao’s milk, experts are advocating the use of artificial insemination to bolster the population of dairy buffaloes or milk-producing carabaos. This call to action arises from the reality that less than one percent of the carabao population in the Philippines falls under the category of dairy breed.
During the National Carabao Conference in Pinamungajan, Cebu, on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) discussed the use of artificial insemination in carabao breeding to enhance the genes of carabaos to yield more milk.
It also revealed its goal to support the Department of Education’s (DepEd) School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) by supplying up to 50 percent of the needed milk.
The PCC, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2021, stated that there are an estimated 2.82 million carabaos in the Philippines. However, when it comes to dairy buffaloes, the number is low, with only 17,907 falling into this category, representing only .6 percent.
The disparity between the overall carabao population and the dairy buffalo count has raised concerns about the sustainability of carabao’s milk. Recently, though, the demand for carabao’s milk has grown due to its nutritional benefits.
School feeding programs now use it to provide vital nutrients for children.
In compliance with Republic Act 11037, also known as the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, the PCC engaged its cooperatives to meet the milk needs of the DepEd’s SBFP.
This program offers nutritious meals and milk to undernourished K-6 public school students to boost attendance, enhance growth, and improve their nutrition.
Meanwhile, Dr. Caro Salces, PCC executive director, said artificial insemination offers a promising solution by selectively breeding more dairy buffaloes, known for their higher milk-producing capacity.
He said female native carabaos or water buffalos are impregnated through the use of semen collected from superior and high-performing buffalos. The sperm is deposited into the female organ using an instrument.
Crossbreeding Murrah buffalo and native carabao leads to first-generation hybrids that grow 70 to 100 percent faster and yield 200 to 300 percent more milk without harming their ability to work or reproduce, he said, adding that ongoing backcrossing with purebred Murrah further enhances milk production, boosting income for small-scale farming families.
The Murrah buffalo breed, originally from Haryana and Punjab in India, is primarily bred for milk production.
Salces recognized that some farmers are hesitant about artificial insemination, believing that carabaos are only for farming, not milk production. To address this, they aim to train more artificial inseminators and educate small-scale farmers.
He said they’ve produced over 260,000 crossbreeds of native and Murrah carabaos, a significantly higher number than reported by the PSA.
Maria Elena Limocon, general manager of Lamac Multi-purpose Cooperative in Pinamungajan, the only firm that processes carabao’s milk in Cebu, said they have sent personnel to train at the PCC Central Visayas office in Bohol to learn about artificial insemination.
She said 18 carabaos in the town have so far been impregnated with the semen of the Murrah breed through artificial insemination.