With Sedap's support, dairy tournament shows the potential of Pará's buffalo herd
The program started this Tuesday (1st) in eight municipalities in Marajó. Properties located in Abaetetuba and Nova Timboteua, in northeastern Pará, also participate in the event.
Until next Friday (4th), breeders and buffalo milk producers from eight municipalities in Pará are participating in the 10th edition of Marajó Buffaloes. The program, which has the support of the Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat for Agricultural Development and Fisheries (Sedap), is organized by the Pará Association of Buffalo Breeders (APCB), and records the participation of 15 producers from eight properties. During the same period, the fourth edition of the dairy tournament in Cachoeira do Arari is taking place.
The milkings are monitored by students from educational institutions in Pará that offer Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science courses.
According to the rules of the contest, the property or competitor that presents the largest quantity of milk will win. The product is measured in kilograms, on a specific scale. The milking for milk extraction is done at 6 AM and 6 PM.
Practicality - The president of APCB, João Rocha, one of the competitors from the Fazenda Paraíso property, located in Cachoeira do Arari, said that milking is done on the properties of the participants, as this ensures the safety of the animal, without needing to move it, as was done before.
According to João Rocha, the Tournament is once again fulfilling its objective, which is to value and encourage buffalo production, especially milk production. “We have the emergence of new dairies in the State, such as in the municipality of Castanhal (Metropolitan Region of Belém), and here in our region of Cachoeira do Arari, where another dairy has recently been established, showing this growth and the potential of buffalo farming and buffalo milk derivatives,” he informed.
Reference - Among the promoters of the Tournament is the Rural Association of Livestock of Pará (ARPP), which supports the event with technical and administrative assistance. Gerson Cora Mota, an agricultural technician from the Association, recalled that the Tournament, which started in 2016, has grown so much that it is now a reference for other states, such as Minas Gerais, which also holds a similar event.
“We had the great satisfaction of being invited in 2023 to hold the dairy tournament of the Brazilian Meeting of Buffalo Breeders, which took place in Minas Gerais. It is a model created from the pandemic, when we could not gather. The Tournament takes place on the properties, without the need to concentrate in one location,” explained Gerson Mota.
On the first day, the milking occurs, when the milk is extracted. Starting tomorrow (Wednesday), milking will take place at both times, to later establish the average to determine the position of each buffalo in four categories: first-timers, young, senior, and adults.
Universities - Through an agreement with universities, students are trained to collect data during the Tournament and make the necessary evaluations. The students act as inspectors, Gerson Mota informed, in municipalities with participating properties, such as Abaetetuba, Xinguara, Salvaterra, Nova Timboteua, and Cachoeira do Arari.
Alessandra Santa Rosa is a student of Veterinary Medicine at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (Ufra), and said that the experience is very enriching, in her first visit to a productive buffalo property. “It is very important to be an inspector of this Tournament. We learn in training that it is important to provide security, both for the milker and for those who are giving us their trust. We need to have a completely professional view within this,” she added.
Partnerships - Sedap supports the Tournament through publicity and technical monitoring, showing Pará, and the rest of Brazil, the work done in Marajó, which impacts the increase in milk production, emphasized veterinarian Augusto Peralta, who is part of the team of the Animal Production Coordination (Copan) of the Secretariat. Together with veterinarian Anelise Ramos, he monitors the event.
According to the veterinarian, Sedap encourages buffalo farming, mainly through partnerships with institutions such as Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company), Ufra, and rural producers' associations. “We need to have these partnerships. Through them, we are here supporting the dairy tournament. We are reaping the fruits of past investments, and today in the present, seeing the results of this work. We walk side by side and grow together,” he emphasized.
The competition also includes a cowboy competition, which will highlight the one who can milk in the shortest time. One of the participants is Sidney Pinheiro, who has been working in the activity at Fazenda Paraíso since he was 15 years old. "For me, it is gratifying every year. We give our best and participate from the beginning," said Sidney, who has already won in three editions of the Tournament.
