The Government of Sindh has decided to establish Sindh Dairy Development Company (SDDC), leading to White Revolution. The company would be funded out of Rs 1.1 billion, saved from Sindhs Annual Development Program (ADP). Although a co-operation agreement already exists between the Government of Sindh and Pakistan Dairy Development Company (PDDC), which works under the Ministry of Industries, Government of Pakistan, the SDDC would work independent of PDDC.
Mohammad Parihar, Secretary, Livestock, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh, has developed the idea of SDDC to augment milk production and export. Pakistan is the fourth largest producer of milk but stands nowhere in export of milk products.
According to information available here on Monday, SDDC has been assured of financial and technical support by European Union (EU) and USAID. The company would develop model farms, community farms, training farms, sale of milk, cooling tanks, linked with sale of milk, biogas, fodder production, etc. The Government of Sindh had established dairy farm, namely, Red Sindhi Cattle Breeding Farm, in Tando Mohammad Khan, for breeding and raising milch animals on modern professional lines on 2483.16 acres, currently having a population of 250 milch cows of Red Sindhi breed.
The said farm had not performed well over years and failed to deliver the products and services for which it was established. PDDC has claimed that it has all the necessary technical and human resources to deliver and manage a modern dairy breeding farm on modern professional and scientific lines. It claimed that, on the one hand, it could turn the farm successfully into a commercially profitable enterprise, and a modern dairy training institute, on the other.
The Government of Sindh has agreed to entrust PDDC with the development, operation and management of the farm, which will be developed on one or more plots of suitable land within the current farm on long-term basis and PDDC has agreed to take over the development, operation and management of the farm. The Government of Sindh will provide one or more suitable parcels of arable land, comprising 600 acres in aggregate, within the existing dairy farm, and further provide necessary finances for initial development.
The Sindh Government would also ensure sustainable supply of sweet canal water fit for raising crops and animal consumption. In case of shortage of sufficient amount of water necessary to raise fodder and use by animals and other purposes ancillary to the management of the farm, PDDC would be allowed to use the revenues to sink tube-wells and/or procure water from other sources. Agreement with the Government of Sindh apart, PDDC will carry out following programmes throughout Pakistan:
-- Promote development and upgrading of the dairy supply chain in Pakistan by supporting and facilitating the farmers, processors and other stakeholders across the value chain.
-- Support growth of the dairy sector by way of supporting and facilitating business development services for enterprises across the value chain.
-- Promote milk and other value-added dairy products.
-- Formulate, with necessary consultation among stakeholders, an industry development strategy and to co-ordinate and drive implementation of the same.
-- Initiate and support the entire dairy value chain to enhanced sector competitiveness through innovation and research.
-- Facilitate and support new technologies for improving productivity of enterprises across the dairy value chain for greater sector competitiveness. Presently, two programmes are being implemented by PDDC--establishment of model farms, and provision of cooling tanks to the farmers.
The Livestock and Fisheries Department has identified following areas for co-operation between Sindh Government and PDDC: establishment of new milk/cattle colonies and dairy village, linkage of these new colonies to the market, Sindh Government farms, salvage farms, feed mills, and animal purchases.