A sum of Rs 9.542 billion has been proposed for livestock sector of the province under annual development programme 2017-18 with an aim to launch such projects which can promote export surplus and create market pull, improve supply chain, production, processing, value addition and certification to link with the international markets.
Livestock is an emerging sub-sector of agriculture with high potential in terms of economic returns. Farmers earn about 30-40 percent of their income from livestock and it is source of livelihood especially for landless and marginalised farmers. The vision of livestock department is sustainable livestock sector development to ensure food security, enhanced competitiveness and quality life of stakeholders with exportable surplus.
For the financial year 2016-17, Rs 9.227 billion were allocated to this sector including Rs 4 billion for schemes identified under Chief Minister's Kissan Package. The Livestock Department, however, utilised only Rs 8.603 billion and surrendered Rs 0.624 billion during 2016-17.
Major initiatives to be undertaken during 2017-18 are improving productivity and fertility of small and large ruminants through encouragement of bull keeping for natural mating, enhancing livestock production and productivity through strategic de-worming and vaccination, establishment of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Bahawalpur, livestock and access to market project, establishment of training centre for biologics at UVAS, RAVI Campus Lahore, improving the production performance of livestock in Punjab through manipulation of different minerals and feed supplements, establishment of suspension culture plant at F&MDRC Lahore, quality assurance of semen supply to enhance fertility, establishment of state-of-the-art labs at Veterinary Research Institute and Foot & Mouth Disease Research Center to meet the international standards of biologics production and research and development, value addition of milk cheese and other dairy byproducts (PPP mode) and establishment of model livestock farms linked with improved supply chain and value addition based on feasibility study.
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