Zhang Xinshi, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said the southern areas had more abundant pasture lands and under-used feed sources.

"The arid northern regions produce 80 percent of China's dairy produce, but serious ecological degradation means they can no longer sustain the rising demand for resources by a rapidly growing industry," said Zhang.

However, the humid area south of the Yellow River had 66.67 million ha of upland pasture and 26.67 million ha of farmland lying idle in winter.

By growing suitable grass varieties on hillsides and shifting from rice to pasture on farmland in winter, the southern regions could host an additional 50 million head of buffalo, said Zhang.

An overwhelming majority of the world's buffalo were raised in Asia.

Addressing the ongoing fifth Asian Buffalo Congress in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yang Bingzhuang, head of Guangxi Buffalo Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said Asia led the world in output of buffalo milk and meat.

Yang, also chairman of Asian Buffalo Association, said the number of buffalo in Asia last year totaled 168 million, of which 22.36 million were reared in areas south of the Yellow River.

Zhang Ziyi, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a researcher at the Institute of Animal Husbandry of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the buffalo industry had broad prospects for development and would be an effective option for improving food security.

"A developed buffalo meat and dairy industry can offset the inadequacy of grain supply on one hand, and enrich the quantity and quality of eggs, meat and dairy products on the other hand," said Zhang Ziyi

He said China's rising consumption of meat and milk had contributed to the decline in per capita annual grain consumption from 160 kg in the past to 85 kg.

Farm machinery had replaced buffalo in many parts of China where they had long been raised as draught animals, allowing them to be bred for beef or dairy production, said Zhang.

The Ministry of Agriculture has put forward buffalo development policies in areas south of the Yellow River in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) and the dairy industry development program until 2020.

More than 600 officials, scientists and corporate representatives engaged in research and development from 19 countries are attending the congress, which ends Saturday.

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