Speakers at an International Conference on 'Dairy Science Park' called for a concrete policy to give better access to meat, milk and other dairy products in the International Hala food market, especially Turkey and neighbouring Afghanistan, stressed the need for bringing legislative reforms of promotion of business, value addition and cold storage of the dairy products.
They stressed the need for integrated approaches to improve meat and milk production in the country by building up mutual linkages between dairy farmers and academia, while steps should be taken officially to remove all obstacles and irritants to farmers in improvement of milk and other dairy products, the speakers maintained. The three-day International conference titled formally started here on Monday, under auspices of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science (FAHVS), Agriculture University of Peshawar in collaboration with Higher Education Commission Islamabad, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other relevant departments here at the varsity.
More than 300 delegates, comprising of livestock and veterinary experts, agriculturists, researchers, and scholars from across the country, along with two foreign states, Afghanistan, and Turkey, participated. During the three-day conference, the University Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Mohammad Afzal, presided over the inaugural session of the conference, while Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Zahidullah Shinwari, participated as chief guest. Representative of Higher Education Commission, provincial department of livestock and dairy development, SMEDA, and other partners of the conference also present on the occasion. Besides, a large number of students, agriculturists, livestock and dairy experts and researchers from various agriculture universities attended the opening session of three-day international conference.
Dr Subhan Qureshi, Dean FAHVS, a host of the conference, in his welcome note said main objective of the conference is to develop enterprising capacity of livestock and poultry farmers of Pak-Afghan Region through partnership of academia, government, entrepreneurs, exporters and civil society with special focus on meat production targeted at International Hala food market. He informed that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa can export meat worth $1 billion to international Hala food market, which needs proper legislative reforms for promotion of business, value addition, and proper cold-storage facility. Professor Qureshi informed the participants about the production of meat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and said the province is conducive for making investment in the livestock sector and that meat production offered profitable prospects.
Zahidullah Shinwari, SCCI President also shed light to importance of improvement in productions of meat and milk, along with dairy products. He assured the Chamber would extend every possible support to promote businesses, value addition, chain and other facilities under the public-private partnership.
The Chamber's President appreciated the dairy science park idea and said investment in the livestock sector and an organised effort to strengthen it could help create jobs for the unemployed youth. The sector, he added, could also be a source to earn foreign exchange. He assured his organisation's co-operation to the university in its efforts to promote livestock sector in the province. He said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has tremendous potential of making viable investments in the livestock sector. "Poverty can be effectively checked in the province through public-private partnership," said the SCCI President.
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