Balochistan needs tech based livestock policy.

• Author: Fazl-E-Haider, Syed

Byline: Syed Fazl-E-Haider

Government must announce a new livestock policy involving the private sector for promotion of the organized cattle farming activities in Balochistan. It should provide the required land and funds and announce incentive packages to attract the private parties for making investment in the sector. Balochistan is a pastoral economy, but it is yet to exploit its tremendous potential in livestock sector. It is an important sector of rural economy contributing about 40 percent to the provincial GDP. Ironically, the provincial government allocates a nominal amount for the development of this sector, which is the primary sustainable source of living for over 70 percent of local population.

According to one estimate, the province maintains 2.253581 million cattle, 12.804217 million sheep, 11.784711 million goats, 0.319854 million buffaloes, 0.379528 million camels, 0.059973 million horses, 0.006256 million mules, 0.471942 million donkeys and 5.911304 million poultry. Livestock contributes Rs. 20 billion with share of meat 40%, milk 35%, eggs 13%, skin, hides and wool 10% and others 2%. The province annually produces 28,000 tons of beef and 204,000 tons of mutton. Animals are traditionally kept for meeting household milk and meat needs in Balochistan.

Livestock development is linked with poverty alleviation in the province, as its 70 percent population is directly or indirectly involved in livestock rearing activities. The province is rich in livestock resources contributing about 40 percent of Pakistan's total livestock population. The main consumers of its livestock include leather, carpet and pharmaceutical industries. The province caters to the needs and demands of leather and carpet industries by sustaining the supply of hyde and wool to these sectors. A poverty alleviation strategy with main focus on livestock development can target the higher poverty in the province.

Issues related to livestock development include poor infrastructure, inadequate range management, subsistence policy, lack of awareness among local farmers, inadequate technology transfer, non-availability of proper veterinary service network, feed manufacturing and absence of disaster warning systems.

The livestock farmers are mainly the small and landless farmers, who are living in miserable socio-economic conditions in the province. They lack land and water for fodder cultivation and animals. Livestock is dependent upon grazing in rangelands, which...