Buffalo farming in the state of São Paulo

The growing demand for cheese and other products derived from buffalo milk has stimulated the development of buffalo farming in Brazil. In this scenario, São Paulo has stood out as one of the leading Brazilian states in the production and industrialization of buffalo milk. Despite growing demand and the increasing value of the well-known buffalo mozzarella, dairy companies specializing in buffalo milk processing cannot find enough raw materials and are therefore unable to meet market demand. In light of this, this study highlights the main positive and negative factors affecting the buffalo milk agro-industrial complex in the state of São Paulo. Based on the concepts of agribusiness, production chain, and agroindustrial complex, the main indicators of competitiveness are selected and evaluated through interviews with different links in the chain. In this way, public and private agents will be able to propose policies and strategic actions to improve the competitiveness of the buffalo milk agroindustrial complex in the state of São Paulo.