Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 8, 2026

Nili-Ravi

The Nili-Ravi is a breed of domestic water buffalo of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It is similar to the Murrah breed of buffalo, and is reared mainly for dairy use. The average milk yield is approximately 2000 kg per year; the record yield is 6535 kg in a lactation of 378 days.

Last revised
Jul 8, 2026
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Nili-Ravi
A Nili-Ravi female in Gujrat, Pakistan
Conservation status
  • FAO (2007): not at risk1: 135 
  • DAD-IS (2025): not at risk2
Other namesNili Ravi
Distribution
  • Bangladesh
  • China
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Sri Lanka
  • Brazil
  • Venezuela23
TypeRiver
Usedairy
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    700 kg4: 69 
  • Female:
    600 kg4: 69 
Height
  • Male:
    135 cm4: 69 
  • Female:
    125 cm4: 69 
Coatblack or brown

The Nili-Ravi is a breed of domestic water buffalo of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India.24: 69  It is similar to the Murrah breed of buffalo, and is reared mainly for dairy use. The average milk yield is approximately 2000 kg per year; the record yield is 6535 kg in a lactation of 378 days.4: 69 

It is distributed mainly in the Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Faizabad, Lahore, Multan, Okara, Sahiwal and Sheikhupura districts of the Pakistani Punjab and the Amritsar, Firozpur and Gurdaspur districts of the Indian Punjab.5

A Nili-Ravi female in Maharashtra source ↗
References

References

  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. Transboundary breed: Nili-Ravi. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2025.
  3. Jesus Reggeti (2010). Water buffaloes in Venezuela. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 6 (Issue sup2: Proceedings of the 8th World Buffalo Congress, Caserta, October 19-22, 2007): 155–161. doi:10.4081/ijas.2007.s2.155. (subscription required).
  4. Bianca Moioli, Antonio Borghese (2005). Buffalo Breeds and Management Systems. In Antonio Borghese (editor) (2005). Buffalo Production and Research. REU Technical Series 67. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Pages: 51–76.
  5. Nili-Ravi. Dairy Knowledge Portal. Anand, Gujarat: National Dairy Development Board. Accessed June 2025.