EU to provide 22.9 million euros for livestock

European Union (EU) will provide 22.9 million euros for a livestock development project, to be completed in six years at a cost 25.942 million euros.
Pakistan government will contribute about 3.042 million euros in the project, which is aimed at improving farmers' livelihoods through provision of better livestock services and enhancing the pace of productivity.
Director European Union Technical Assistance has arrived in the country to supervise the activities of the project, official sources told APP here on Friday.
The specific objectives of the project are to strengthen the government of Pakistan capacity to plan and manage the sustainable delivery of pubic services to the sector in the context of a difficult economic situation and at the same it will examine the ways in which private sector delivery of services can he improved.
The national, provincial and eventually, district livestock services will be the immediate beneficiaries while the ultimate beneficiaries are the livestock farmers through improved livelihoods.
The project, which should be considered as a process project rather than a technical blueprint approach, has ten components, which are linked to different mechanisms of the sector.
The activities in the field will address the two key areas, ie animal production (animal health and animal nutrition) and marketing. The project will target the problems of animal disease control.
Following the progress made in the final eradication of rinderpest, the project will bring its resources to bear on other key diseases of socio-economic importance which may include for example foot and mouth disease, pest des petit ruminates, haemorrhage septicemia and parasitic diseases.
Animal nutrition and feed supply strategies, especially fodder supply, together with the improvement of markets and the marketing system for internal as well as external needs will also be addressed by the project.
The project has ten components, which are 1. Policy and regulatory framework. 2. Disease surveillance, diagnosis and reporting. 3. Vaccine production. 4. Strengthen field veterinary services. 5. Human resource development. 6. Interdisciplinary livestock sector research. 7. Information and communication. 8. Studies and surveys. 9. Regional and sub-regional co-operation and co-ordination. 10. Core project management.
The first year of the six years project will be dedicated to strengthening of organisational structures, procedures (training, setting up of databases and reporting systems) and carrying out a number of studies and surveys.
Data collection and analysis will commence after first year, and continue throughout the life of the project. Planning, co-ordination, surveys and studies, monitoring and evaluation and training of field staff will be a continuous activity.