The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) is working on facilitating 4,000 registered livestock farmers to promote the export of the live animals to Afghanistan and the Gulf states, well-placed sources told Business Recorder on Thursday.
Sources said that the Food Ministry was working on a summary regarding the export of live animals, which would be sent to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani for approval. The livestock has emerged as a leading sub-sector of the agriculture in Pakistan. Livestock production is one of the major source of 30-35 million people of rural areas, who are engaged in raising livestock.
Livestock contributes significantly to national exports and 8.5-9.0 percent of total exports belongs to this sector. This sector provides raw material for the industry and livestock creates market and capital. The Federal government imposed a ban on the export of live birds and animals in the first quarter of 2004.
The national herd consists of 24.2 million cattle, 26.3 million buffaloes, 24.9 million sheep, 56.7 million goats and 0.8 million camel. In addition to these, there is a vibrant poultry sector, producing more than 530 million birds annually. The demand is increasing for livestock products due to urbanisation and economic development.
The current growth rate of milk is 2.9 per cent and meat 3.2 per cent. The growth rate will touch 3.2 and 4.3 per cent for milk and meat respectively in next five years with modest public sector investment. According to the sources, the livestock farmers have been demanding of the government since long to re-open the export of the live animals.
"They lamented that their animals are sold at cheaper rates in the domestic market. A common man cannot afford the high price of meat so the prices of beef and mutton are kept low in the market," said the sources.
When this scribe contacted a senior official of the Livestock Division of the Food Ministry, he said, on condition of anonymity, that it was true that the ministry was working on the proposal of the export of living animals.
"We have two options; first of all the ministry would try to facilitate the local market for the livestock products and secondly, the export of fattened live animals would be approved", he said. He added that the government would fix minimum export rates for the export of live animals.
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