Provincial livestock departments have demanded the federal government to increase the duty on milk powder, meat and animals on their import from India to make the livestock sector compatible.
An official of Livestock and Dairy Development Punjab informed the National Assembly's Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination that according to a report of customs, milk powder and animals are imported in huge quantity from India which declined the profitability in livestock sector and also affected the livestock export of Pakistan.
He said that Pakistan's exports were declined by 19 percent in 2015-16 as compared with 2007-8, while Bangladesh has increased livestock products export by 309 percent during the same corresponding years.
He further informed the committee that curtailing damaging inflows by imposing duties on import of whey milk powder and with crackdown on smuggled powder, the issue of whiteners badly affected the milk sector in Punjab.
He said Punjab is home to 62 percent livestock, Sindh 23 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 12 percent, and Balochistan has 3 percent of total livestock.
He further said that provincial coordination is important to counter the animal diseases and increase meat and milk productions in the country. He said across the border as well as provincial migration of animals needs to be monitored to save them from diseases.
He said that Punjab would complete livestock survey in the province next month (May). The provincial department is also providing information to 8.1 million mobile users about livestock.
Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan chaired the meeting of the committee that was also attended by representatives of Higher Education Commission, officials of livestock departments of Balochistan, Sindh and KP. They also informed the committee regarding the steps being taken in livestock sector by respective provinces.