Pakistan has diverse climate and natural resources that could support its livestock sector but it remains underutilized. Livestock contributes significantly to Pakistan's economy by providing raw materials and jobs, but productivity is limited by a lack of knowledge, capital, and modern facilities. Improving animal health, nutrition, and breeding practices through new policies, outreach programs, disease surveillance, and genetic research could help increase production and better utilize Pakistan's livestock potential.
Pakistan has diverse climate and natural resources that could support its livestock sector but it remains underutilized. Livestock contributes significantly to Pakistan's economy by providing raw materials and jobs, but productivity is limited by a lack of knowledge, capital, and modern facilities. Improving animal health, nutrition, and breeding practices through new policies, outreach programs, disease surveillance, and genetic research could help increase production and better utilize Pakistan's livestock potential.
Pakistan has diverse climate and natural resources that could support its livestock sector but it remains underutilized. Livestock contributes significantly to Pakistan's economy by providing raw materials and jobs, but productivity is limited by a lack of knowledge, capital, and modern facilities. Improving animal health, nutrition, and breeding practices through new policies, outreach programs, disease surveillance, and genetic research could help increase production and better utilize Pakistan's livestock potential.
Pakistan has diverse climate and natural resources that could support its livestock sector but it remains underutilized. Livestock contributes significantly to Pakistan's economy by providing raw materials and jobs, but productivity is limited by a lack of knowledge, capital, and modern facilities. Improving animal health, nutrition, and breeding practices through new policies, outreach programs, disease surveillance, and genetic research could help increase production and better utilize Pakistan's livestock potential.
A nation is said to be lucky if it possesses natural
blessings. Pakistan certainly stands at a high position in this regardfor it has a diverse climate and natural resources including massive coal reserves, valuable minerals, fertile land at both plain ield level and at high altitudes, rivers and an almost 1120 kilometer long coastline. The Agriculture sector is also a vital component of Pakistan’s economy as it provides the raw materials to downstream industries and helps alleviate poverty. In Pakistan, nearly 70 percent of the masses are engaged in agriculture practices, contributing 19.8 percent to GDP. Agriculture, moreover, remains by far the largest employer absorbing 42.3 percent of the country’s total labour force. Unfortunately, livestock remains underutilizedin the country. For example, Pakistan is endowed with rich ishing potential which is not fully exploited. This may be due to the use of conventional facilities.
Most of the ishing boats in use in Pakistan are made of
wood, and are unable to meet the demands of the industry. There is thus a dire need to increase the safety of these boats and to equip them with technologically advanced tools that can be used for deep sea ishing. In Pakistan, the Water and Power DevelopmentAuthority (WAPDA) oversees the development of isheries. It is reported that the production of ish can be increased through stocking of hatchery-raised seeds (rohu, silver carp, grass carp, catla, mrigal carp and common carp). About 23,000 mt of ish, valued at Rs.118 million, are being caught by 5,000 isher folk for their. breeds i.e. Nili-Ravi and Kundi. Nili-Ravi is the best dairy buffalo breed of the world. Most of these animals are rearedby rural masses who lack the advanced knowledge of animal husbandry and do not possess the required capital to invest in prevention, treatment and control of animal ailments. Moreover, the livestock sector is plagued by many substantial issues. Livestock health is a limiting factor in increasing productivity. Either there is lack of knowledge or the sector is plagued by a paucity of capital to purchase treatment stuff. The people also pay little attention to breeding practices. Mostly bulls with low genetic potential are used which restricts improvements in production. It is high time we compare products from local breeds with the rest of the world. In Pakistan, Sahiwal is ranked as the best milking cattle breed, which yields about 8-10kgs per day, with a fat content of 4.5 %, and an average lactation period of 10 months. Comparatively this is very low milk yield and can be increased by adapting certain measures such as adequate nutrition and worm control through regular drenching etc. Adequate nutrition is another major challenge in livestock production. Without providing the essential nourishment to animals, we cannot increase hereditary potential. We need to develop a national policy that stipulates decide how much nutrients animals need to utilize their maximum genetic potential. Anotherhindrance the livestock sectorfaces is the lack of technologically well-equipped laboratories for accurate diseases diagnosis. Moreover, limited facilities do not reach farming communities in remote areas. Pakistan’s population is increasing at an alarming rate while Despite the poultry sector’s important role in the country’s economy, not a single scientiic study is available on its evolutionary history. The data available in this regardis scattered and lacks reliability. Keeping in view the increasing demand for animal products, there is a dire need to develop workable plans. For that purpose, attention must be focused on (a) conservationof pure germplasm by establishment of resource centers throughout the country (b) grass root level counseling and awareness programs for farming community aimed at proper nutritional plants for milk and meat breed to achieve maximum output(c) nation-wise surveillance of infectious and non-infectious diseases aimed at prophylactic approach for health animals (d) starting programs aimed at improvement of genetic potential by selective breeding between potential poor and potential rich animals and (e) creation of transgenic animals for better productive output.