Daily Times

With undeterred population growth and ever increasing meat demand, there is dire need to promoting livestock sector in different parts of the country including South Punjab.

Making the most of livestock potential and giving this sector a special status with multiple incentives to those rearing cattle will help provide livelihood for local people and secure slots in international export market.

Since millions of Pakistanis are already in this business individually, streamlining their efforts by setting this business on modern lines would help a lot for exporting Halal meat particularly to Middle East countries.

Therefore, the rural areas in Punjab and Sindh and parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can be validly focused to excel in this sector to support our economy.

“Pakistan has lot of potential in this sector and if properly focused, can help farmers to reap maximum benefits and make the country earn foreign exchange,” said Deputy Director Livestock South Punjab Dr Jamshaid Akhtar.

“We can significantly enhance the meat and milk production by focusing this sector,” he said. “The best semen quality could play vital role in improving animals’ health, milk and meat production.” Livestock farming in South Punjab is an integral part of livelihood in the region as it contributes more than 28 percent of Pakistan’s milk production and is home to 43 percent of Punjab’s livestock animals.

Small farmers and poor families are already rearing cattle within their capacity to run their kitchen by selling milk, goats and sheep to meet their immediate cash demands.

Jamshaid informed that Livestock Department had launched various programs including calf fattening, save buffalo calf, advisory service, provision of free of cost animals and poultry units on subsidize prices. “Our rural areas have ideal environment for cattle rearing and mechanized patronage of this sector and value addition to raw products could generate good results in terms of capital earning,” he said.

He said the exotic semen was available with the department for producing better animals besides Sahiwal and Cholistan breeds. “We are also offering hybrid grafting of millet to cattle farmers free of cost as an economical and long lasting fodder for the cattle.

Although almost every developed country has introduced modern techniques to flourish this sector yet we are still surviving with the primitive cattle rearing practices.