Buffaloes in Paraguay: past, present and future

INTRODUCTION

The Republic of Paraguay is located in South America, in the south center of the South American continent, with an area of 406,752 km2, neighboring with Bolivia and Brazil to the north; with Bolivia and Argentina to the west; with Argentina to the south; and with Argentina and Brazil to the east. Its climate is tropical to subtropical with abundant although seasonal rainfall. The country is divided in two major regions: the western “Chaco” and the eastern “Oriental”. The difference between the rainy summer and the drier winter season is quite marked, especially in the Chaco. In the Oriental region, temperatures and rainfall are somewhat more uniform, but the seasons are equally marked.

Paraguay stands out as one of the most open economies in South American, and a leading world exporter in products such as of hydroelectric energy, soy, wheat and corn, mate tea, stevia and organic sugar. In 2021 it ranked as the world´s 7th largest exporter of beef products.

The country also has significant wetland areas; about 23.06%, (93,707 km2), with 15% of this surface located in the Eastern Region. The larger wetland areas are the Pantanal Paraguay, the Lagunas del Chaco Central, the Lagunas del Chaco Húmedo, the wetlands at the foot of the Cerrados, those belonging to the Arroyos y Esteros wetlands, those of the Atlantic Forest, the Ñeembucú wetland, as well as other flooded grasslands (SEAM, 2015).

Wetlands play a key role in the development of life on earth and have been critical to the survival of human communities throughout history. These ecosystems provide important ecological services such as water supply, flood control, groundwater replenishment, shoreline stabilization, storm protection, sediment and nutrient retention and export, pollutant retention, climate change mitigation and water purification (SEAM, 2015). However, they are also areas that, without use, accumulate large amounts of senescent vegetation and dry biomass, being prone to large fires almost annually, and that without productive use often have areas of poverty and scarce human development nearby.

In this work it is proposed that the water buffalo (Bubalo Bubalis), with proper management, is an ecologically friendly alternative for sustainable social, environmental and economic development in this dynamic South American country.

PAST

The first buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) arrived in Paraguay in 1954 when Manuel Ferreira Sosa brought a herd of approximately 40 buffalo along with a larger importation of Nelore cattle from Uberaba, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil (Bruyn, 2017; Crudeli et al. 2021). His intention was not to approach buffalo breeding as an economic option, but rather as a curiosity to accompany cattle breeding and to give use to the lowlands on his property in Caazapa. Offspring of this initial herd, sold to different ranchers, was the beginning of the dispersion of the species throughout the different areas of the country, but always more as a curiosity than as an economic option. Another relevant source was the sporadic entry over the land border with Brazil, brought by Brazilian colonists settled in the area adjacent to the state of Mato Grosso.

The first important commercial buffalo exploitation was carried out by Eitimios Ioannidis, who in 1988 acquired 200 buffalo from the state of Mato Grosso and began raising them in Colonia Yguazu, near Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. Later, he increased his herd with small purchases in different parts of the country (Crudeli et al. 2021). In 1993, this producer acquired a herd of 50 registered Jafarabadi buffaloes, with high dairy genetics, from the San José fazenda, Franca locality, São Paulo state, Brazil. His dairy operation was considerable, reaching the milking of 600 buffaloes in various milking parlors within his establishment. Although today he is no longer engaged in dairy farming, he was, at one point, the producer with the largest number of buffalo in the country. This property, however, was sold and the herd moved to another establishment in the Santa Rosa area, where it is currently being managed by his children Karin and Thiliio.

Another buffalo pioneer is Bella Italia in the department of Misiones owned today by Jean Batista Lozio, an Italian based in Paraguay. The origin of this operation was his father's intention to install a buffalo dairy for the production of Mozzarella cheese. His premature death cut short the project that was already underway, and today the operation is currently dedicated to meat production and the breeding of Criollo horses (Crudeli et al. 2021) and is known for their yearly buffalo and Criollo horse auction.

Mention must also be made of Ruben Bruyn and his family. He is one of the first who started to mark the difference between buffalo owners and breeders, as well to manage his herd with rotational grazing and electric fencing. In 2010, Mr. Bruyn became the founding president of the Paraguayan Association of Buffalo Breeders (APACRIBU).

For many years, buffalo in Paraguay was raised in medium or large farms, mostly without management and intentionally limiting their increase in number. They were kept as something exotic and/or to cover the internal meat required by estancias. The animals were of the Jafarabadi breed or crosses of this breed with Mediterranean and/or Murrah (Zava, 2007). In extensive conditions, herds often had little human contact, without proper management, so the animals became feral and gained a reputation of being untameable (untamed). To some extent this explains the relatively small herd in spite of all its benefits and of having been introduced to the country almost 70 years ago.

PRESENT

According to official figures from the National Animal Quality and Health Service (SENACSA) in 2022, Paraguay registered a bovine herd of 13,573,375 head and a buffalo herd of 13.125 head with 267 producers distributed throughout the national territory. Buffalo is primarily in the eastern region with 71% of the herd, while the western Chaco region which registers 29%. The departments with the largest buffalo population are Presidente Hayes, San Pedro and Paraguarí. (Table 1)

Table 1: Holders of buffalo cattle, number of establishments and buffalo population by department. Year 2022.

Buffaloes in Paraguay: past, present and future - Image 1

Of the 267 small, medium, and large producers dedicated to raising buffalo in the country (Figure 1), 80% are doing so mostly in marginal, difficult low and wetlands, primarily in the departments of Ñeembucú, Paraguarí, in the lower part of San Pedro and a significant amount in the Lower Chaco (Frutos, 2021).

The demand for buffalo meat and its derivative products has been growing steadily, but growth is limited by the supply side. Despite this, currently it can be found in delicatessens and specialty supermarkets, in various presentations of premium cuts such as rump steak, rib eye, tenderloin, sirloin, as well as hamburgers and sausages. One can also find buffalo hamburgers on menus in specialty restaurants. Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and a variety of buffalo cheese, such as Paraguay, Mozzarella and Burrata, is produced in small quantities (Frutos, 2021).

FUTURE

In 2021, at a meeting of the American Federation of Buffalo Breeders held in Bogotá, Colombia, Paraguay was chosen as the venue for the X Symposium on Buffaloes Breeders of the Americas and Europe, to be held in November 2022. Consequently, the President of APACRIBU, Richard Moss Ferreira, became President of the American Federation of Buffalo Breeders.

The Symposium will be of fundamental importance for the growth of buffalo farming in Paraguay, since these international events are attended by producers, technicians, researchers, presidents of buffalo associations, companies, journalists, among others, from America, Europe and Asia, and will facilitate the exchange of experiences between national producers and the international delegates, and where the species and herd management techniques will be discussed, as well as the production of products derived from buffalo milk and meat.

Buffaloes in Paraguay: past, present and future - Image 2

Figure 1: Buffaloes in Paraguay (Photo Ross)

More importantly, throughout the year it will provide opportunity to bring attention to inform and educate in a manner to overcome prejudice and draw focus on the opportunities and management skills available to turn marginal lands into areas of sustainable human development, and Paraguay into a key player in the development of the regional Buffalo industry.

The opportunity is enormous; with 9.3 million hectares of marginal wetlands and estimating to allow up to 4 hectares per buffalo for sustainable buffalo farms, a population of 2.5 million head could be sustained.

Regarding the relationship between wetlands and buffaloes, researcher Gerardo Barboza Jimenez in his work in Costa Rica mentions that the water buffalo is an animal that has been and can be used successfully for grazing in wetlands since it is the herbivore with better anatomical and physiological characteristics and with the greatest potential for vegetation management in tropical and subtropical wetlands, as it can move easily in humid and muddy terrain, it can even swim, thus using areas where cows and horses will not enter, lest they get stuck . The buffalo remove the biomass of invasive plants from the wetland and exposing the water mirrors allowing the regeneration of a diversity of plants, seeds and small organism which are food sources, attracting aquatic birds, increasing biodiversity and abundance significantly, all while the buffaloes improved their productive and reproductive conditions. His studies conclude that rotational grazing with water buffaloes is an activity of great interest for the management of invasive vegetation in tropical wetlands and for buffalo production, as the animals develop well and produce milk and meat of high ecological quality while performing the function of a biological machine that cleans the biomass of the wetland, making this a relevant and interesting model for conservation and production and as a management strategy against climate change. In short, the water buffalo can have attributed the function of rehabilitating wetlands.

Also, in a work on wetlands in the islands of the Argentine delta, the authors Travaini, A.; Astrada, E., Cadoppi, A. (2019) highlight that the buffalo species is adapted to life in wetlands and that by adjusting the loads and managing the receptivity of the environment it is possible to achieve a sustainable buffalo production in an environmentally friendly manner, contributing to the maintenance of the integral ecology of wetlands. The buffalo takes advantage of low and flooded fields, marshes, estuaries, shallow lagoons, and alluvial plains among others. Natural wetlands are put into production without the heavy modifications for water management required for other livestock species, agriculture, or urbanization. The wetlands have the advantage of having many low fields, with estuaries and embankments, where the buffalo is very well adapted. In the summer it is observed how they are constantly submerged in the estuaries, even feeding on water hyacinth (camalotes) and other aquatic plants. During the winter, with the low temperatures in the area, the buffalo generally seek higher areas, sheltered from the cold and feeding on the natural vegetation of the hills. It is also observed that they approach the estuaries to feed and drink water. For these reasons, an excellent coexistence of the buffalo with the surrounding environment is expected. The great capacity of the buffalo to convert fiber into energy is very important in this area, where in the estuaries there is an abundant supply of crude fiber, such as reeds and grasslands. These forages, which cattle does note consume, will benefit buffalo, allowing them to obtain astonishing rates of daily gain. The study concludes that the buffalo is a very interesting alternative for the wetlands of the Paraná Delta, achieving a perfect adaptation to the area, with excellent productive results. (Steverlynck, 2014).

Due to these characteristics, the buffalo can be considered a great “instrument” for regenerative and sustainable livestock farming in Paraguay. Its rusticity permits benefiting from underutilized surfaces and with rational management schemes, its trampling, grazing and dunging, combined with rest periods, stimulate the regeneration of plants and soils, and through this, favoring biodiversity, growth and carbon sequestration.

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

If we take as a reference the official buffalo population according to SENACSA of 13,125 heads for the year 2022, and we consider the figure of 13.1% annual population growth of buffalo in Argentina for 10 years (Crudeli, 2011) and extrapolate it to Paraguay, a buffalo population of 50,147 heads would be reached in this country in the year 2032.

This figure is low in relation to the previously determined potential, and we propose public private cooperation to take the following relatively simple measures to foster the development of the species in Paraguay.

1. Stimulate the importation of live animals from neighboring countries,

2. Encourage the retention of 70% of heifers and

3. Educate for herd management that obtains the yearly pregnancy rates expected for this species (80% and above) and weaning rate of 70%

These relatively simple changes would contribute to creating a critical mass sufficient for Paraguay to use and develop these wetlands in an environmental, social, and economic sustainable manner