Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic status of buffalo farmers and husbandry practices of non-descriptive buffaloes (indigenous 50% × Murrah 50%) in selected coastal areas of Bangladesh. A total of 349 randomly selected farmers from five upazilas in the Bhola district participated in face-to-face interviews. The results showed that agriculture (71.06%) was the main occupation of the farmers. Notably, 94.84% of farmers did not provide houses for their buffaloes, while only 3.72% used shawn/leaf-made houses for shelter. Most farmers (97.42%) used river/canal water for wallowing, and 85.10% of buffaloes were fed through grazing. The average milk production was 1.56 L/d/buffalo, with a lactation length of 182.50±0.26 days and total milk production of 268.08±5.36 L/lactation period. The study also found that farmers did not use artificial insemination (AI) for buffalo breeding, with the breeding season being predominantly in winter (91.11%). Furthermore, farmers did not maintain records of their buffaloes. In conclusion, implementing good husbandry practices in the current buffalo farming systems is crucial to enhance the performance of non-descriptive buffaloes in the coastal region of Bangladesh.

Key words: Breeding, coastal, feeding, housing, non-descriptive buffalo.