It would be of interest to know that the value of a good milk buffalo some years before partition in subcontinent was Rs100 in East Punjab. Whereas now the price of a good buffalo is Rs2 lac which shows an increase of 2,000 times. The role that a buffalo plays in the life of rural farmer is exemplary. The buffalo provides milk, curd, ghee and yogurt for daily food of a farmer and his children. There is a saying in the heartland of Punjab that if a person dies his relatives weep inside the house whereas if his buffalo dies the inmates weep on the roof of the house as it amounts to ruination of the family due to economic impact of the loss of buffalo.
Over two crores of buffaloes sustain the rural life of millions of small farmers and landless peasants which would not be possible from income generated on small land holdings. In fact someone had said that buffalo has been a bulwark against the sweep of socialism in Pakistan as it is the anchor of economics of rural life essentially managed by the men and women work force in rural areas. A buffalo also serves as a mini bank for the farmer to serve a useful purpose in emergencies of life, like meeting monetary needs of ensuring health of farming community and other unforeseen expenses in life. As such the government ought to strive for upkeep of good health and disease free status of the rural buffaloes.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
