LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged the private sector to shift its focus towards the livestock sector which has the immense potential to work as driving force for the national economy.
The LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Senior Vice President Almas Hyder and Vice President Nasir Saeed said that livestock accounts for around 11.4% for the GDP and its value is higher than all the agricultural products including major, minor and fruits and vegetables.
They said that a little focus towards this important sector and public-private partnership could yield miraculous results.
They said that appetite for Pakistani meat is strong in both domestic and export markets. They said that exports of live animals should be marginalized and only meat be exported to get maximum benefits.
They said that 15% milk is wasted in transportation requiring instant remedies. More chillers on farmlands need to be established, these can operate through join ownership of farmers. They said that the chillers should be operated on no-profit-no-loss basis through interest free loan from the state, returnable in five years time.
The LCCI office-bearers said that poultry meat accounts for around 25% of domestic food requirements. The major means to cut cost in poultry is through reducing all import items involved in industry to zero level. They said that local research institutes are required to develop lair-chick farms and establish hatcheries within the vicinities of broiler farms in order to cut the cost of transportation and to keep the overall cost minimal in domestic market.
They said that livestock is the main industry that can be used for poverty alleviation in rural areas. They said that the unused land provided to the farmers for livestock and the animal refuse and dun used for producing biomass, the fuel for generating electricity. They said that this electricity in rural areas can help manage the chiller for milk and at later stage can help freeze meat for exports.
“In order to root out rural poverty it is recommended to provide 5 buffaloes, 10 goats and 3 acres to widows in each village. Once these are in place poverty reduction will be ensured and at the same time can provide milk, meat and biomass for the power projects in villages”, they added.
The LCCI office-bearers said that government should a target of 5% per year for livestock produce which can easily be achieved if the livestock investment from the state remains concentrated on composite projects from embryo development to export of meat for the farm. They said that efforts must be directed to minimize the intermediaries between the farmer and domestic market on one hand and between the farmer and the international market on the other hand.
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