Lebak Regency Optimizes Artificial Insemination to Increase Buffalo Population

Ranchers release buffaloes in the Rangkasbitung Palm Oil Plantation, Lebak Regency to be used as feed for large livestock from abundant green grass. (ANTARA)

BANTEN - The Lebak Regency Government continues to strengthen the development of buffalo breeding through the application of artificial insemination (AI) technology.

This step is carried out as an effort to increase livestock population as well as encourage the productivity of livestock businesses managed by the community.

Head of Business and Institutional Development of the Livestock and Animal Health Service of Lebak Regency, Rieyan Dermawan, said that buffalo breeding is still one of the sectors that support the economy of rural communities. Currently, the buffalo population in Lebak Regency is estimated to reach around 15 thousand heads and is expected to continue to increase through the implementation of more modern reproductive technology.

"In the future, better cultivation techniques will be developed so that the buffalo population continues to increase through the birth of calves to support the self-sufficiency of buffalo meat," he said.

In addition to increasing livestock populations, local governments are also encouraging the modernization of cultivation systems. The reason is that most farmers still rely on traditional maintenance patterns so that the application of reproductive technology is considered capable of accelerating population growth while increasing the productivity of people's livestock.

The type of buffalo that is widely maintained by the community in Lebak is a mud buffalo with an adult weight ranging from 500 to 700 kilograms. This size makes this livestock have a fairly high economic value in the market.

At the level of farmers, buffalo farming is still the main source of income for families. Asep (50), a farmer who herds his cattle in the Rangkasbitung palm oil plantation area, admitted that he had been running the business for about 20 years.

Currently he is maintaining about 45 buffaloes which are grazed every day in the plantation area with abundant feed green. According to Asep, every year he is able to sell about five buffaloes with a sales value of around Rp. 150 million. This income is used to meet the needs of the family, build a house, to finance the education of his two children to college.

A similar thing was conveyed by Jamawi (60), a farmer from Solear, Maja District. He assessed that buffalo breeding business still provides certainty of income for people in rural areas.

Jamawi currently maintains around 35 buffalo. In a year, he sells an average of five buffalo with a value of around Rp. 150 million. The selling price of buffalo ranges from Rp. 20 million to Rp. 30 million per head, depending on the size and quality of the livestock.

According to Jamawi, the existence of oil palm plantations is an advantage for farmers because it provides a stretch of grass as a natural feed source. This condition makes hundreds of buffaloes can be grazed every day with more efficient maintenance costs.

The development of buffalo farms in Lebak Regency is considered to have promising prospects. In addition to being able to increase the income of farmers, this sector also plays a role in meeting the needs of slaughter cattle in the area. With the support of cultivation technology, population growth, and the use of local feed sources, buffalo farms are expected to contribute more to rural economic growth while strengthening national food security.