Short answer: a buffalo in Pakistan gives about 7 to 8 litres of milk a day on average while she is in milk. A published review lists 7.5 litres for Nili-Ravi and 6.8 litres for Kundi. A poor village animal may give only 2 to 2.5 litres, and a well-managed one up to 20. Over the whole year, with the dry months counted, the daily average falls to about 4.7 litres.
Vital Feeds (Private) Limited, an animal feed manufacturer in Arifwala, Punjab, wrote this guide for farmers who want a fair number to compare their own buffalo with. It gives no feed prices.
What is the average milk yield of a buffalo in Pakistan per day?
The review Buffalo: Black gold of Pakistan (Livestock Research for Rural Development) puts the two main breeds side by side.
| Measure | Nili-Ravi | Kundi |
|---|---|---|
| Milk per day | 7.5 litres | 6.8 litres |
| Milk per lactation | 2,430 litres | 2,315 litres |
| Lactation length | 322 days | 325 days |
| Calving interval | 512 days | 551 days |
| Dry period | 190 days | 226 days |
The review also gives breed ranges of 1,800 to 2,500 litres per lactation for Nili-Ravi and 1,700 to 2,200 for Kundi, and says the best animals can pass that. Buffalo milk is about 68 percent of all milk produced in Pakistan, so these figures matter for the whole dairy chain.
Why does one buffalo give 2 litres and another 20?
The same review says daily yield may be as low as 2 to 2.5 kg in a poor village animal and as high as 20 kg on a well-managed farm. That is a tenfold gap inside one breed, so genes alone do not explain it. FAO's guide to feeding dairy cattle and buffalo says good buffaloes give 12 to 15 litres a day and the average is 5 to 10. Four things move a buffalo along that scale:
- Feed matched to milk: about 1 kg of concentrate for every 2 to 2.5 litres, on top of good fodder (FAO). See how much feed a buffalo needs per day.
- Water: milk is mostly water, and a shortage cuts intake first.
- Heat: buffalo lose heat poorly, so milk drops in June and July without shade or a wallow.
- Stage of lactation: yield climbs after calving, peaks, then falls, so a daily figure is only a snapshot.
How much milk will a buffalo give in a whole lactation?
If you know her average daily milk, you can estimate the lactation total by multiplying by the 322-day Nili-Ravi lactation length. This table is our own arithmetic, not a measured result. Real yield rises to a peak and then falls, so use it only as a rough check.
| Average per day | Per 322-day lactation | Per day over a 512-day calving cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 4 litres | 1,288 litres | 2.5 litres |
| 6 litres | 1,932 litres | 3.8 litres |
| 8 litres | 2,576 litres | 5.0 litres |
| 10 litres | 3,220 litres | 6.3 litres |
| 12 litres | 3,864 litres | 7.5 litres |
Why is yearly milk lower than daily milk times 365?
Because a buffalo does not give milk every day of the year. In the review, a Nili-Ravi buffalo is in milk for 322 days but takes 512 days between calvings, with 190 days dry. Spread her 2,430 litres over 512 days and she gives about 4.7 litres a day, or roughly 1,730 litres a year (our arithmetic). A Kundi at 2,315 litres over 551 days gives about 4.2 litres a day.
This is the hidden lever for a dairy farm. A shorter calving interval adds milk without a single extra scoop of feed. Cutting the dry period is slow work, but a buffalo that is fed well in late pregnancy, which FAO puts at 1 to 1.5 kg of concentrate a day, calves in better shape and starts the next lactation stronger.
How do I check my own buffalo?
- Weigh the milk: record morning and evening milk for each buffalo, in litres, every day.
- Add the month: divide by the number of days in milk to get her true average, not her best day.
- Compare: below 5 litres, look at water, fodder and heat first. Between 5 and 10 you are in the normal band. Above 10, protect what you have with steady feeding.
- Count the calving interval: write down each calving date. Over 512 days means the dry months are costing you milk.
- Call a vet if milk falls suddenly or she goes off feed. Feed cannot fix illness.
What does this mean for a Pakistani dairy farm?
Take the published numbers as a mirror, not a promise. If your buffalo gives under 5 litres, the fastest gains are usually water, a feed plan set by milk, and shade; our guide to increasing buffalo milk yield walks through each step. When green fodder runs short in winter, see the buffalo winter feeding plan. A balanced concentrate such as dairy vanda carries the minerals that fodder lacks.
Written by the Vital Feeds editorial team.
How this guide was made: daily yield, lactation yield, lactation length, calving interval, dry period, breed ranges and the 68 percent milk share are from the review Buffalo: Black gold of Pakistan (Livestock Research for Rural Development), read in full; the good-buffalo range, concentrate rule and late-pregnancy figure are from FAO; the tables and yearly figures are our own arithmetic from those numbers; the draft was fact-checked against the sources on 4 November 2026.
Want help planning feed for your herd? Message the mill on WhatsApp (UAN 0311 1555136), see our cattle and dairy feed, or find your nearest Vital Feeds dealer.