The meeting was open with the salutations of Authorities of Santarem, of Government of Parà, of Federal University of South East of Parà (UFOPA), with the Rector José Seixas Lourenco and the prof. William Vale, the Organizer, the FAO delegates and so on.
Dr. Otavio Bernardes, the President of the American Federation of Buffalo Breeders, presented a lecture on “Situation and perspectives on production chain in buffalo field”, prospecting a green revolution as the basis for the diffusion of milk and cheese market, when the milk price in the farms is 1.1 reais (R) and the cheese starts from 10 R until the mozzarella price, link to fat percentage, of 40-50 R (1 US dollar=1.82 R, 1 euro=2.46 R). The meat price is very low as about 3-5 R/kg according the cut value until 12 R/kg for the filet.
The day after, 12 September, Prof. William Vale presented the lecture on “The buffalo in the world context” with several pictures of management, breeding and products in many countries, as afterward Dr. Manfred Thiele, the President of Buffalo breeders in Germany, showed the situation of buffalo products and marketing in his country, where with only 2100 buffaloes, a rich market of high quality products (mozzarella and other cheeses, yogurt, sausages and also beaty products) was created.
Prof. Antonio Borghese presented the invited lecture on “Buffalo and its importance in human food sustainability in the world”, sublining the strategic role of this species as a source of protein food (milk and meat) for human survival in the world: as India and Pakistan selected milk purpose breeds (Murrah, Nili Ravi,Kundi) to produce fat for butter, ghee and cream food and defattened milk for direct consumption, as Italy created the best milk breed (Mediterranean Italian) to spread out the market of mozzarella, ricotta and other luxurious cheese in the world, according italian cooking style. Other countries as China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Iran, Turkey, adopted a different strategy to increase the milk production and availability for human need as the importing of high quality semen to apply crossbreeding on Swamp breeds where the milk potential is very low.
Dr. Pedro Paulo Assef presented the lecture on “the buffalo as alternative for milk production in Ribeira Valley”, that is very rich of pasture at 160 km from S. Paulo, showing milk productions about 2400 litres in the first lactation, with several cheese products as provolone, parmesao, mozzarella.
Rodrigo Barauna Pinheiro, of Simoes Group, Manaus, Amazonas, showed the management system in Amazonas lands, where the flood is the reality and the buffaloes swimp in lagoons, anyway the milk production is high for the use of italian semen in A.I. by high genetic value bulls as Malandrino, Jafar, Napoli, obtaining several products as “La vera mozzarella”.
Nelson Prado showed the management system in his farm “Fazenda Laguna”, 90 km from Fortaleza, with rotation pastures, irrigation, sugar can production, selection for milk and meat purposes, health control, no consanguineity, milking machine and other technologies.
On September 13 started with the lecture by Prof. Pietro Baruselli, from S. Paulo University (USP-SP) “Perspectives in buffalo reproduction”, showing the effect of A.I. in the genetic improvement and the different technologies in estrous detection, in estrous synchronization, in superovulation and embryo recovery.
Prof. Haroldo Lobato Ribeiro, from Universidade Federal Rural da Amazonia, spoke about the Artificial insemination in flood areas, where the used breeds are Jaffarabadi, Murrah and Mediterranean, the identification is on the horn and the health problems are brucellosis (30%) and TBC (16%).
Prof. Marilia Viviane from UPIS; Brasilia, spoke about the management and feeding of calves, as Prof. André Jorge, from UNESP, Botucatu, presented the requirements in dry matter, water, Energy and protein for milk production.
The meeting finished with a round table on the problems of marketing in meat lines and in milk and cheese lines.