This study was aimed at calculating the economic values for milk (MY), fat (FY) and protein (PY) yields for a dairy buffalo production system in São Paulo State. The performance, revenues and costs were estimated based on a bio-economic model developed for a herd of dairy buffaloes raised in a grazing system, with roughage supply during the dry season and concentrate throughout the year. Economic values were calculated from the marginal difference of annual profit resulting from the increase of one unity of the trait, keeping the others constant. Two different commercial systems were considered: 1) The milk production is sold to industry (MILK) and 2) The milk is used to produce mozzarella cheese on the farm (MOZZARELLA). Sensitivity analyses were carried out to evaluate the impact of changes in concentrate, milk and mozzarella prices on the economic values. The economic values of MY, FY and PY respectively in the MILK and in the MOZZARELLA system were R$ 0.71; R$ -0.74 and R$ -0.82 and R$ 3.05; R$ 18.66 and R$ 54.38. These results suggest that under the current payment policy it is not desirable to improve fat and protein yields when the revenues are based on selling the milk production. The production of mozzarella on the farm may be economically interesting to these systems but depends on availability of financial resources for that investment.
buffaloes; fat production; modelling; mozzarella; protein production
