Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Livestock and Dairy Development Board, under Prime Minister Initiative for livestock Project has saved more than 93,000 baby calves during last two years that helped in significant increase in local meat output, besides increasing the income of farmers, particularly small scale growers in the country.

The Prime Minister Initiative Projects for improving livestock businesses was aimed at to increase the quality beef and mutton production in the country besides capacity building of livestock farmers on calf rearing and feedlot business to reduce the mortality in baby calves. The other objective was to strengthening backyard poultry to address protein deficiency and malnutrition throughout the country which also reflects the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The Save the Calf Project was initiated with a total cost of Rs3,401.699 million having the federal share of Rs1,103.382 million, whereas provincial governments contribution was Rs2,298.320 million, said Project Manager PMI Save the Calf Dr Muhammad Mohsin Kiani. In a meeting held here to review the progress on Prime Minister Initiative for livestock project, he said that so far the project has utilised 23 percent of the total allocated resources and successfully achieving its targets, adding that significant growth in meat including beef, mutton and chicken. During two years of the projects about 55, 451 farmers were benefited to save more than 93,000 baby calves, resulting an increase of 5,060 metric tonnes of meat in the country, he said. In addition to this, capacity-building of more than 15,000 farmers on calf rearing business has also been done, he added. He apprised that the Calf Feedlot Fattening Project has been also initiated with total cost of Rs 2,385.139 million with federal share of Rs 680.410 million while provincial share was Rs1,704.729 million.

So far 22 percent of the total budget has been utilised, adding that during two years of the projects more than 24,615 beef farms and 2,058 mutton farms has been established in which almost 110,094 animals has been fattened to produce premium quality beef and more than100,000 lambs were fattened to produce quality mutton throughout the country, he added. The minister was further told that in addition to this, capacity-building of about 12,000 farmers on calf feedlot fattening has also been done.

Meanwhile, under the Backyard Poultry Initiative about 23 percent of the total budget has been utilised and more than 1.3 million poultry birds had been distributed in deserving families along with capacity building of 84,532 beneficiaries, he said, adding that the project total cost of the project was Rs 1,635.471 million with federal share of Rs279.331 million, provincial Rs349.30 million and beneficiary share of 1,006.84 million.