9 - NSF Digital Library

Welcome Address by Dr. Oswin Perera
(Project Representative)
Honourable Mr. Bernard Soysa, Minister of Science, Technology
and Human Resources Development; His Excellency Mr. T. Akesson,
Charge d AGkes for Sweden; Prafessor Priyani Soysa, Director General
of the Natural Resources, Energy and Science Authority of Sri Lanka
(NARESA); Dr. Afzal Sher, representative of the Swedish Agency for
Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SARECISida);
distinguished keynote speakers, foreign and Sri Lankan guests,
participants, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the Project Staff of the SARECMARESA Buffalo
Research and Development Programme in Sri Lanka, it is indeed a great
privilege and pleasure to welcome you most cordially to the opening of
this Regional Symposium on "The Role of the Buflalo in Rural
Development in Asia".
The starting point of this programme was the holding of a
National Workshop, in 1980, to review all aspects of buffalo research
conducted up to that time, and to identify gaps in knowledge which
impeded better utilization of this animal's potential by nual fanners.
Based on the recommendations of the workshop, SAREC provided
funding through NARESA for a five year research programme &om 1983.
This fmt phase focused on fundamental aspects of nutrition,
reproduction, diseases and socieeconornics. A large scale field survey
was conducted to gather base-line information on the management and
productivity of indigenous buffaloes, and a monograph, now recognized
as the standard reference work, was published. Two buffalo research
farms were also established.
The results of these studies were presented at a symposium held
in Kandy in 1989, and lead to a second phase in which SAREC provided
funds for a further five year programme. This second phase included
more applied studies to develop technologies which can be used at the
field level to improve productivity under rural farming conditions.