As every year, from this Thursday, November 21st to Saturday, November 23rd, the “PROBUFALAS 2024 Exposubasta” is taking place at the “General en Jefe José Antonio Páez” Fair Park in San Fernando, capital of Apure State. At this event, nearly 200 animals of great genetic value from approximately 33 dairy buffalo farms from Apure and around the country, are exhibited to support and encourage the breeding and raising of new generations in this species of the future and promote the economy, the backbone of this plains state.
By: Correspondent lapatilla.com
Admission is free for all citizens interested in being part of this regional and national event that also seeks to unite the people and add more cattlemen to the guild.
The Apure State government gave PROBUFALAS a headquarters close to the AGAPURE facilities in the Fair Park, so that AGAPURE and PROBUFALAS could work together.
Ronald Dobles, President of PROBUFALAS and organizer of the buffalo exhibit, appreciates the participation of the breeders who, as usual during the third week of November of each year, not only show their potential in buffalo farming, but also take advantage of the occasion to maintain direct interaction with all their cattlemen colleagues, and also have access to genetic material of great value.
“We are showing what has been done during more than 50 years of genetic improvement of buffalo milk herds and the exponential growth of 10% to 15% of buffalo cattle in Apure, given the productive and reproductive efficiency of this animal in the Apure tropics, which is greater than that of cattle,” said the president of PROBÚFALAS.
At this event, not only will visitors enjoy the cattle exhibits, but they will also be part of the buffalo auction, the milk production competition and the judging of the Murrah buffalo breed, and during the closing on Saturday, November 23rd, they will celebrate this meeting with a sunrise on the plains.
A growing sector
Rafael Urdaneta, Vice President of CRIABÚFALOS of Venezuela, provides support in the process of the phenotypic judging system of buffalo cattle. He also celebrates that Apure is the region with the greatest boom in buffalo cattle raising, especially among small producers located in the river meadows, who produce cheese with high-yield animals seven to nine months a year.
Urdaneta reports that almost 570 to 580 thousand heads of buffalo cattle place the state of Apure between second and third place in Venezuela. This list is headed by the state of Barinas with 600 thousand heads of cattle and Zulia with approximately 580 to 590 thousand.
“We are all rowing towards progress, to increase and grow in quality and quantity. We are working towards the export of meat and dairy products from buffalo milk to be able to bring foreign currency to the country. Today we have an international market with prices similar to the national market and therefore, we are placing our products at a national level where prices are not falling seasonally as in previous years and buffalo cheese is being exported, which has led to price stability for the producer. Only already processed products are leaving, such as dairy derivatives. For two years, breeding stock have left the country as a sample of these exchanges,” he said.
CRIABÚFALOS hopes that in 2025, Venezuela will achieve international certification against foot-and-mouth disease, in order to be able to export buffalo meat to the European and North American markets, because it contains a different level of fat highly appreciated in the fitness and gourmet consumer market.
For his part, the President of AGAPURE, Janio Gracia, exhibits his best animals from the Terecay farm and emphasizes the importance of the development of artificial insemination and embryo transplantation programs during the last 20 years for genetic improvement of herds in our edaphoclimatic conditions, taking into account the characteristics of the soil (floodable savannas) and the climate in the plains region in small and medium buffalo production units.
Gracia recalls that in the second vaccination cycle of last year against foot-and-mouth disease, Apure was ranked second in terms of vaccination coverage against foot-and-mouth disease, while in the first vaccination cycle of 2024, the plains entity was ranked first with one million seventy thousand animals (1,070,000) vaccinated.
“We hope to surpass this figure this year, without waiting until the last day to do so, December 15th, because foot-and-mouth disease is a viral disease that affects the herd, causes the decrease in milk production, vaccination not only allows to have a healthy herd, but also opens access to international markets,” he told La Patilla.
Wilson Gracia, director of the Association of Cattle Ranchers of the state of Apure (AGAPURE) and exhibitor, is pleased with the organization of this annual event where producers from Apure and several states of the country meet.
“We are a single union to move our state and our country forward, because together we can do more. We offer a top-class exhibition and an auction to promote the progress of our state of Apure,” said the union member.
Manuel Jerónimo Solórzano, Director of AGAPURE, assures that this legendary association of this country, with more than 80 years of continuous work, provides the necessary support to its sister association PROBUFALAS.
Solórzano invites the Apure cattle ranchers to join the union to combine efforts in favor of the development of the sector. “The union has allowed us to establish public policies in favor of all cattle ranchers, towards the creation of the Regional Federation of Cattle Ranchers of the state of Apure,” Solórzano told La Patilla.
Alejandro Garcés Acosta, Colombian judge of the buffalo breeds, during the last two years at the Expoventa Probúfalas 2024, celebrates the good condition of the Fair Park, the comfort not only of the animals, but also of the stables and the importance of the milking contests, he highlights that the organization and participation of the commercial houses is much higher than in previous years.
“I have devekloped my work in Venezuela since 2012 to also support some cattle ranches in genetic selection and improvement. In Apure I have seen the greatest development, the greatest enthusiasm and a lot of potential to continue developing quality dairy buffalos. The state of Apure is distinguished by the human quality, the enthusiasm of the breeders, by the cattle culture, they see the buffalo as a productive alternative in the ranches, without discrediting the cattle”, he pointed out.
The expert in the area urges the cattlemen to receive the necessary advice to guarantee the genetic quality of the cattle. “The investment in buffalo genetics has a very fast return, a well-selected breeder is not expensive in money, that financial effort returns very quickly to the breeder’s pocket and benefits the people”, he said.
In Venezuela it is estimated that there are a little more than three million 200 to 400 thousand heads of buffalo cattle. In the next year, CRIABÚFALOS hopes to carry out the definitive census with the participation of the College of Veterinarians, ministries, the different health and transport institutes and the organized producers.