9 - NSF Digital Library

V.G. Momongan
or mineral salts. Occasionally, rice bran or other farm by-product
concentrates may be given especially to the nursing or milking dam.
The health care for buffaloes is minimal. Farmers do not buy
vaccine to vaccinate their buffaloes, especially against haemorrhagic
septicemia and foot and mouth disease. They depend on the free
vaccination program of the government which is not conducted regularly.
Dew&g of bufFalaes is not normally performed by farmers, resulting
in high calf mortality which may range from 10 to 40%. Weaning of
calves is not usually done and it is not uncommon to see a one year old
calf by the side of its dam.
Buffalo Meat Production
Traditionally, when the buffalo is no longer fit for draught or for
milk production, the animal is slaughtered for meat. The meat fiom such
carcasses is tough and fibrous, and the dressing percentage varies fiom
40 - 50%. This is the reason why some consumers consider buffalo beef
inferior to bovine beef However, if the buffalo is slaughtered at a young
age similar to that of cattle, the quality of buffalo meat is just as good as
beef (Calub et al., 1971; Joshi, 1988; Ibarra, 1988; Zava, 1991; Oliveira
et al., 1991).
In general, the total buffalo beef production increased
substantially in 1994 compared to that during the 1979-81 period by
67.2% in Asia and 22.4% in SE Asia. However, in terms of buffalo beef
per caput, the figure in SE Asia decreased (-7.5%), while that in Asia
increased by 3 1.5% (Table 3). Ifwe examine the trend in consumption
in various SE Asian countries, buffalo beef per caput in 1994 increased
in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Philippines and Vietnam; and decreased in
Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand as compared to their
respective figures in 1979-81.
Table 4 shows the percentage of buffalo'beef production to the
total beef production in 1 994.