Manda buffalo

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Context:

The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has recognised the Manda buffalo, found in the Eastern Ghats and plateau of Koraput region of Odisha, as the 19th unique breed of buffaloes found in India.

About Manda buffalo:

Native to the Eastern Ghats, the small, sturdy breed is disease and pest resistant.
The Manda can live, produce and reproduce at low or nil input system.
This buffalo germ-plasm was first identified through a detail survey conducted by the Animal Resource Development (ARD) department of Odisha in collaboration with Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).
The small, sturdy buffaloes are used for ploughing in their native habitat of Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts.
These buffaloes have ash grey and grey coat with copper-coloured hair.
The lower part of the legs up to elbow is light in colour with copper colour hair at the knee. Some animals are silver white in colour.
There are around 1,00,000 buffaloes of this breed in the native tract mostly contributing to the family nutrition of households and assisting in all the agricultural operations in the undulated hilly terrain for generations.
The average milk yield of these buffaloes is 2 to 2.5 litre in single milking with more than 8% fat.
Manda buffaloes get matured at around 3 years and drop the first calf at around 4 years. Every 1.5 to 2 years they give birth to a calf for the whole life of around 20 years.

Other listed breeds:

Four breeds of cattle — Binjharpuri, Motu, Ghumusari and Khariar — and two breeds of buffalo — Chilika and Kalahandi — and one breed of sheep, Kendrapada, have already received NBAGR recognition.