May 16, 2006

Pakistan launches programme to modernise milk and meat industry

Pakistan would be launching two separate programmes worth PKR 4 billion (US$66 million) to improve production and preservation of milk and meat in the country, Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock spokesman, Dr Muhammad Afzal said Monday (May 15).

Livestock is an important part of the economy that has been largely overlooked in the past, he said.

Although 6.5 million families engaged in livestock businesses or those related to it, there is no formal grouping to stand for their interests, Afzal said.

Thus, the government initiated the programme to improve the services in the livestock sector.

He said Pakistan is one of the top milk producing countries but only 3 percent of this product is processed. The government has therefore planned to improve milk collection and processing capability. Among the plans is the provision of chilling units to villages so that the milk can be kept longer.

The government is prepared to take up the challenge of modernising the business, he said.