KARACHI: Livestock farmers say their sector has a lot of potential but has been severely neglected by the government. It has highlighted the need for a comprehensive policy to export animals and their meat, and said it needs help to scale down energy costs and get proper water supply to pens,.
They said if farmers in Sindh and Punjab are encouraged with proper facilities, it will be a game changer in terms of meat export.
Talking to Business Recorder, veteran livestock farmer and Memon Dairy Cooperative Farming Society President Jamil Memon said Saudi Arabia procures over 3 million sacrificial animals, including mostly lambs and sheep, during Hajj from Australia and New Zealand as the animals in Pakistan cost 30% to 40% more.
Australia produces more and more lambs when it faces drought and farmers are unable to feed them. These lambs weigh between 60kg to 200kg and are disease-free.
In order for Pakistan to compete, policymakers must reduce energy costs including gas, electricity and fuel, ensure proper water supply and water connections to pens, remove encroachments and announce incentives for farmers with a view to promoting animal farming and the export of both live animals and meat.
Water issues and property rights
Memon said local livestock farmers are facing numerous problems. When it comes to a host of pens on the Superhighway (the M-9 motor from Karachi to Hyderabad), 200,000 to 250,000 big animals including cows and buffaloes are present at a number of pens from Sohrab Goth to Kathore, Gadap Town, Malir District in Karachi.
However, not a single sweet water connection is allotted to any pen there and farmers have to use groundwater. The 30-year land lease of the Superhighway areas from 1992 to 2022 has expired and farmers are distraught that they have no property rights.
Then there is the Bhains /Cattle Colony in Landhi, which spreads to 3,000 acres and has 400,000 animals. Half of the colony is supplied water by Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation and the rest of the colony farmers have to use groundwater, according to Memon.
He added that its 30-year land lease from 1965 to 1995 has also expired, which means farmers have had no property rights for around 30 years. Due to this, commercial farmers and new investors fall prey to confusion which dents confidence.
Sindh’s potential
Meanwhile Sindh Livestock / Animal Husbandry deputy director Dr Mazhar Ali Rind said Sindh small animals and their breeds such as goats, lambs, sheep and others. These exist in large numbers in Shaheed Benazirabad, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Hyderabad and other districts, while big animals are available in Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta and others.
He said Pakistan can produce and export disease-free and healthy animals if certain policies are implemented. For instance, there is a dire need to establish disease-free zones in areas such as Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Rahim Yar Khan and Tharparkar.
Types of livestock farming
When it comes to types of animal farming, livestock experts and commercial farmers said there are three types of farming: range farming, intensive farming, and semi-intensive farming.
In range animal farming, animals are raised on open land like pastures and various ranges. In intensive farming, animals are raised under proper shades or pens in a confined area while in semi-intensive farming, animals are reared on open land for some hundred meters and enclosed with metal fences to protect them from predators.
