A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ON BUFFALO HEALTH AND PRODUCTION PUBLISHED DURING THE LAST SIX DECADES IN BANGLADESH
Authors: Samad M. A. 
Published: June 2020

Background: A large number of indiscriminate research reports on buffaloes have been published from Bangladesh but a systematic review based on these findings is lacking in literature. This review was conducted to analyze and summarize all the available inland research reports on buffaloes to identify gaps and to provide recommendations that would be required for future academic and research plan for buffalo development.
Objective: The purpose of this review was to assess and provide the research progress on buffaloes to maximize the direction and benefits for the future academicians, research scientists, producers and consumers.
Materials and Methods: A comprehensive scientific literature search on all the aspects of buffaloes published in peer-reviewed journals from Bangladesh was reviewed during two years periods of 2018 to 2019.
Results: Bangladesh has only 1.485 million indigenous buffaloes distributed throughout the country with higher concentration (40%) in coastal districts and some buffalo pockets. A limited number of imported Nili-Ravi and Murrah buffaloes and their crosses are reared in some farms and smallholder farmers in Bangladesh. Buffalo has been ‘undervalued’ and not addressed properly for development in Bangladesh. Most of the indigenous buffaloes are reared with very minimum housing facilities and limited feed supply. Some farmers are usually supplied local grass (4.98 ± 2.89 kg/DM/day) and rice straw (10.90 ± 2.85 kg DM/day) with one or two concentrate feed (1.51 ± 0.80 kg/DM/day) in their lactating buffaloes. Natural breeding (95.7%) is more prominent practice than AI (4.3%). The buffalo breeders and farmers are facing challenges in terms of poor reproductive efficiency, sub-optimal production potential, lack of feed and fodders, infertility and high calf mortality. However, a total of 236 research reports have been reviewed on buffaloes, which 126 on production and 110 on health aspects. The research on productive and reproductive performances, live weight and meat production, feeds and feeding, balanced rations for calves and lactating cows have been reviewed and described. The buffalo health research includes on anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, parasitology, pathology and clinical sciences with emphasis to toxoascariasis, mastitis, rotavirus and calf mortality have been described and discussed.
Conclusions: The demand of draught animals at rural level decreased due to mechanization whereas the demand of animal sources protein (milk & meat) increased tremendously due to urbanization. Therefore, there is a great scope for dairy buffalo production side by side cattle dairy industry in Bangladesh. The indigenous buffaloes with poor reproductive and productive performances need to be improved through upgrading the genetic improvement by AI with Nili-Ravi and Murrah buffalo semen and adequate provision of feed and fodder with balanced ration, better management practices, adequate veterinary medical services with appropriate extension are required for dairy buffalo production in Bangladesh. An attempt at government level and concerned scientists would be required to solve the seven recognized constraints related to buffalo production and health to promote the livelihood of smallholder farmer’s via-a-vis national economy of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Buffalo health and production, Last six decades, Research findings, Systematic review, Bangladesh