'Prize Breeds of Pakistan'

'Prize Breeds of Pakistan' is the title of a handsomely produced excellent bilingual (English-Urdu) book by the Livestock & Dairy Development Department, Government of the Punjab in the year 2004. Bedecked with colour photographs of livestock and printed on quality art paper, this hardbound publication projects the national livestock wealth of Pakistan.
Being an agricultural country, Pakistan has an enviably large and variegated wealth of livestock. Several breeds of its cattle wealth are known the world over.
According to statistics available in the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2003-2004, this sector, in economic terms, contributes around 49.1 per cent to the overall agricultural value-added and about 11.4 per cent to the GDP of the country. The Survey also indicates that about 30-35 million rural population of Pakistan is engaged in livestock raising. Latest figures put the livestock wealth of the country to 23.8 million cattle, 25.5 million buffaloes, 54.7 million goats, 24.7 million sheep, 389.9 million poultry, 0.8 million camels, 4.1 million donkeys, 0.3 million horses and 0.2 million mules.
The Economic Survey has also estimated that 28.624 million tonnes of mutton, 0.402 million tonnes of poultry meat, 8.427 billion eggs, 39.9 thousand tonnes of wool, 41.4 million skins and 8.4 million hides were produced in Pakistan during the year 2003-2004.
In recent years, the Government of the Punjab seems to have accelerated its drive to promote livestock development and create greater public awareness about the existing livestock wealth in the province and the need of as many people from the rural population as possible to engage in these activities.
In the preface of the book, the Punjab Chief Minister has pertinently observed; "Since its inception the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Department took the initiative to publish such a handsome volume", which, he elaborated, "translated the enunciated vision of his government". Vision 2020 for the Punjab, it may be recalled, focuses "on areas of untapped potential, encourages the innate creative spirit of our people to find full expression and prompts all levers of development in our hands towards the greatest good of the greatest number".
The book 'Prize Breeds of Pakistan' provides abundant information about the cattle and poultry wealth of the country, which perhaps had not been put together in one single volume in the past. The cattle about which information has been provided to the readers and the breeders include Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Cholistani, Bhagnari, Tharparkar, Kankrej, Dajal, Dhanni, Lohni, Rojhan and cross-bred cows, and Nili Ravi and Kundi buffaloes along with their beautifully printed photographs.
The varieties of sheep, which have found a mention in the book are Lohi, Kajli, Kooka, Thali, Hashtnagari, Kail, Balkhi, Kachhi, Salt Range, Khadali, Soipli, Awasi and different categories of goats include Beetal, Beetal Spotted, Daira Din Panah, Angora, Pak Angora cross-bred, Kamori. Nachi. Teddi and Barbary also along with their pictures. Camels have not been left out of this reckoning as one finds Marech and Mehra varieties of this desert animal also included in the book.
The book also includes different kinds of poultry, including Minorca, Aseel, Yokohama, Plymouth Rock, Orpington, Brahma and Cochin White. It also enlightens the readers of several prize- winning breeds of cattle.
Competently edited by M. Athar Tahir, a senior member of the Management Group (who is known for his multifaceted creative personality) and former secretary of the Livestock & Dairy Development, it is perhaps the first book of its kind ever published in Pakistan by a government department. It also substantiates the point that a creative mind, no matter where it is placed, can produce something, which is not even remotely related to the domain of arts. The publication of the book 'Prize Breeds of Pakistan' shows quick, creative, effective and an able mind at work.
The book under review will go a long way in creating a congenial environment for accelerating livestock production in the country, which will serve as a vehicle for social security; poverty alleviation and rural development, ultimately leading to domestic food security and creation of exportable surpluses.