Livestock and Dairy Development Board (LDDB) will launch a project costing Rs 2 billion to control highly infectious disease 'foot and mouth' that causes Rs 6 to 8 billion loss per annum. Chief Executive of the LDDB, Dr Muhammad Afzal revealed this while talking to Business Recorder here on Tuesday. LDDB Deputy Project Coordinator, Dr Naveed Niazi was also present.
Dr Muhammad Afzal said that the research study on the project will start from August this year with the cost of Rs 9.13 and the purpose of the study is to draw a strategy which comprehensively highlight following areas, including measures to control the disease effectively, production of vaccination of the disease with the help of private sector or private-public partnership.
Moreover, Dr Afzal stated that after finalising the strategy the government will be approached to materialise it, however, he said that the whole project would cost Rs 2 billion to the government to control this viral disease hitting our animal breed badly.
Meanwhile, he informed that domestically produced vaccination is of poor quality therefore, the vaccination is being imported and poor farmers have to suffer, as they have to bear Rs 240 expenses per annum on per animal. Telling about the mortality rate among the affected animals he said that mortality rate among four months to two-year old affected animals is about 20 per cent, while it causes 40-50 per cent production loss among milk giving animals.
Moreover, he said that in the developed countries, full herds of infected animals are slaughtered but in Pakistan we could not afford it therefore, "in this strategy necessary measures will be taken for prevention and treatment, he said. Therefore, he said, the strategy would ensure that in coming 5-7 years Pakistan would be able to confine the disease to very limited area of the country.
He, further, said that 30-40 years back this disease used to hit animals during harvesting season or during winter-rain spell, but now throughout the year its attack could be witnessed in any part of the country.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that the Livestock and Dairy Development Board (LDDB) had worked another project with the help of Australian aid under which a study was being carried out for improving milk production through small holders' production system.
Under this scheme, we were studying 150 farmers each in Bhakkar and Okara. During this project, he said, 'we studied how much milk they are producing, how much they spend per month on their animals, how they market their product, how they sell their animals etc.
He said in Pakistan percentage of small dairy farmers is still over 85 per cent.
Replying a query about LDDB's other projects, he said that they had installed 89 milk-cooling plants throughout the country and installation of 27 others was in progress.
The Livestock and Dairy Development Board (LDDB) had a target to install 300 milk-cooling tanks in five years out of which, 120-140 would be installed in the Punjab.
He said till date their focus was on Gujranwala, Kasur and Mandi Bahauddin but from next year they would go to Southern Punjab too. Replying to another query about issues in milk, he said quality of milk was the biggest issue in our country. He was of the view that quality of milk could not be improved till huge investment come to this sector.