November 12, 2003

Pakistan Government Blamed For Beef, Mutton Crisis
 

One of the major reasons of the ongoing beef and mutton crisis in Pakistan¡¯s Karachi city is that the government has failed to evolve any livestock policy.

Besides, the city authorities have also failed in effective enforcement of quality standards needed for slaughter, transportation and sale of meat in the city.

According to a government official, the meat crisis could have been easily avoided by developing livestock farming sector in rural areas of the city, having abundant supply of livestock.

Since 2001, the city government neither tried to formulate a livestock farming policy, nor it earmarked any funds for the purpose in its budget, he said, adding that various proposals forwarded by the Agricultural, Fisheries and Livestock departments of the city government were placed in cold storage by the authorities.

He added that the City Council's committees on Agricultural and Livestock, which had been assigned the task of preparing quarterly reports and presenting it in the Council, had failed to present even a single report in this regard. 

According to a district officer of the Livestock department, only Rs22,000 had been earmarked for livestock sector in the current budget of the city government.

A total of about more than 900,000 live animals in the suburbs of Karachi, including Cattle colony and in various areas in Gadap town, Malir, Landhi, Baldia and Bin Qasim towns, the DO said.