The buffalo program in Cuba: between the herd's decline and the lack of public data

The buffalo farming program in Cuba began in 1983 with the importation of nearly three thousand head for areas with limitations for cattle raising. (Courtesy: Food Monitor Program)Buffalo farming in Cuba was once again presented by state television as an alternative to increase meat and milk production, although there are no recent national data that allow knowing the current size of the herd, the costs of the program, or the destination of its products. An analysis published by Food Monitor Program (FMP) questioned the lack of verifiable information about a policy that began in 1983 and that, more than four decades later, continues to be associated with promises of greater availability of protein for the population. The introduction of the water buffalo responded to the objective of using land with limitations for raising cattle. The regime highlighted for years the species' adaptation to the climate, its reproductive capacity, and its lower input requirements. The program received 2,984 head, including river and swamp buffalo, according to FMP data. The herd reached 63,050 animals in 2009. That expansion was attributed to the species' breeding conditions and its ability to develop in humid areas or areas with less livestock infrastructure. The trend changed in subsequent years. By the end of 2020, the national buffalo herd had fallen to 54,100 head, a reduction of nearly 9,000 animals from the maximum recorded 11 years earlier. 91% of the animals remained under state ownership. The difficulties cited included feeding problems, lack of infrastructure, management failures, and weaknesses in controls. In some areas, groups of animals were left unsupervised and acquired a semi-wild condition, with possible effects on crops, rural communities, and sanitary conditions. Food Monitor Program questioned the lack of updated official statistics on the program's costs and the destination of the food. (Courtesy: Food Monitor Program)Food Monitor Program stated that, since January 2021, it detected the sale of buffalo meat, milk, and derivatives in physical markets and digital platforms. However, the organization maintained that there is not enough public information to determine what quantity of that production regularly reaches Cuban households. The lack of a national statistical series after 2020 makes it impossible to establish whether the herd recovered, stagnated, or continued to decline. There is also no consolidated data on the companies that receive the meat and milk, transfer prices, production losses, or the income generated by the activity. Provincial reports show uneven activity. In Las Tunas, for example, the herd ended 2023 with 2,128 animals, about 400 fewer than the previous year. The province then reported the delivery of 71.6 tons of meat to the industry and 60,451 liters of milk. In Granma, the official press reported a recovery of the buffalo herd and recalled that in 2022 more than 200 tons of meat were produced. Part of that production went to the meat industry, tourist facilities operating in foreign currency, and entities linked to agriculture and Azcuba. The milk, according to those reports, supplied small cheese and yogurt industries. Part of the buffalo meat produced in Granma went to foreign-currency tourist facilities and state sectors. (Courtesy: Food Monitor Program)Food Monitor Program warned that these data describe local realities but do not allow evaluating the functioning of the program at the national scale. Nor do they allow verifying what proportion of production remains in the provinces, is sold to state entities, or reaches circuits intended for population consumption. The situation in Ciego de Ávila exposed one of the greatest difficulties of the activity. In 2016, local authorities acknowledged that 85% of the provincial buffalo herd was roaming uncontrolled through several municipalities. Six years later, during 2022, only 365 animals were captured, a figure that, according to the analysis, fell below the reproduction rate of the dispersed animals. The organization linked that scenario to deficits in fences, feed, tools, veterinary care, medicines, and management discipline. It also mentioned the absence of stable mechanisms that allow completing the production cycle, from herd control to the delivery of meat and milk. The discussion about buffalo production takes place amid a food crisis marked by inflation, loss of purchasing power, and supply restrictions. In that context, it stated that the authorities should publish data on the herd, the resources allocated, the volumes obtained, and the final destination of the meat, milk, and their derivatives.