Caretaker Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Mumtaz Ahmed Khan Manais has categorically stated that there was no bird flu in Punjab and we have increased the surveillance of poultry farms and taking all precautionary measures to check its outbreak.
"Talking to newsmen on Wednesday at the luncheon of All Pakistan Bedsheet and Upholstry Manufacturers Association (APBUMA) he said that a high alert has been declared in Punjab after confirmation of a bird flu case in Karachi. He said no bird flu virus was found in the flesh of poultry, adding culling the birds was the responsibility of the district governments, which should manage things, including sanitation and spray.
The Minister said there were at least 25,800 poultry farms in the country and any person could open a poultry farm after obtaining an NOC from the Ministry of Livestock. He said the government was closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and had taken appropriate steps to ensure timely containment of any human cases of Avian Influenza. The Minister said that Pakistan is at fifth number among cotton, third in date, seventh in mango, fourth among milk producing countries.
While it was the second largest country in "Kinnu" producing states. However now we are passing through severe food autarky. He said that our cotton, wheat and mango production was badly affected during last three years. The minister claimed that previous Government had spent more funds on livestock sector than previous regimes of 55 years, which had given a boost tom this sector.
However our agriculture was entirely depending upon the subsidies or compensation. He stressed the need for processing of the milk and said that what a pity that only 3.2 million litre milk was being processed while total consumption of milk in Lahore is 3.8 million.
The minister said that 80 to 100 percent milk was being processed in developed countries. He said that we can produce cheese, butter, ghee, yugurt and other products and earn more and more foreign exchange like Holland. He further said that Pond-fish was being sold out by pretending it "river fish ".