Govt to set up 400 livestcok farms

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Shahid Shah

KARACHI: The government planning and development division has planned to initiate a 3-year project for poverty reduction through livestock development.

The project ‘Poverty Reduction through Smallholder Livestock Development’ will be implemented this year across the country with sponsoring of Planning Commission and Ministry of Livestock and Dairy Development.

According to details obtained by The News the project will be operated and maintained by Livestock Holders Associations on self-financing and self-sustaining basis under the guidance of project management. The community will share Rs472.45 million in a project of Rs3539.13 million. Livestock sector is the major contributor with 52 per cent of the agriculture GDP and is a source of livelihood for around one third population or 55 million people.

Pakistan is 5th largest milk producer in the world but production of milk animals remains low. More than 90 per cent livestock are owned or kept by small farmers and landless rural households (52 per cent female, 48 per cent male). About 90 per cent of total milk supply come from these smallholders. In most parts of the country, women dominate the livestock in terms of feeding, milking and marketing of milk.

During 2007-08, about 42.2 billion liters of milk was produced, of which 34 billion liters (81 per cent) were used for human consumption and only 1.26 billion liters are being processed and rest of the milk are marketed raw.

According to project details, the primary objective of the proposed project is to bring social and economic transformation of rural Pakistan by empowering millions of small livestock holders comprising the poor landless farmers including women.

The project envisages establishing 400 smallholders’ livestock farms in the country in three years specifically designed to cater to the needs of poor farmers and landless livestock smallholders who subsist on milk animals for their livelihood. The government will provide a grant up to 80 per cent for infrastructure development.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=184617