Constraints in management of buffaloes in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh: Farmers’ perception

A study was carried out to find out various buffalo husbandry practices and constraints perceived by the farmers in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, India. About 120 rural farmers from two mandals were randomly selected for the study. Farmers from representative villages were interviewed and collected available information. Among the constraints, as many as 41.1, 32.1, 38.5, 8.8 and 28.9% respondents experienced various reproductive problems such as delayed age at first heat, longer calving interval, anoestrous, repeat breeding and inability to identify the heat symptoms during summer in buffaloes, respectively. Veterinary hospital facility was available to 76% farmers and none of the farmer was maintaining records pertaining to history of their buffaloes. Major breeding problems reported were low conception rate (24.3%) with artificial insemination. Major feeding constraints perceived by the farmers under study were costly feed ingredients and dry fodders (68.8%), lack of chaff cutters (85.9%), shortage of fodder (77.9%) during summer, lack of knowledge in scientific feeding and non-supplementing of mineral mixture. Most of the farmers (86.7%) were not following the scientific milking practices. Most of the farmers were poor in certain aspects of scientific feeding, breeding, housing and milking practices and need to be educated.