Livestock production and marketing in Pakistan

Type Report
Title Livestock production and marketing in Pakistan
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 1997
URL http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAC394.pdf
Abstract
gross production value of agriculture, the production and marketing of livestock and
related products has largely been neglected. The per capita consumption of meat in
Pakistan is among the lowest in the world. From July through September of 1973, a four-man team of U.S. livestock production and marketing specialists requested by the
government of Pakistan conducted an investigation inPakistan to identify the causes of the inadequate quantity and low quality of livestock products reaching consumers,

and to outline programs that would lead to significant improvements. The basic problem

found with milk and milk by-p'oducts is the lack of all-weather roads and rail links,

coupled with a lack of refrigerated means of transporting milk. Government and private
investment in these, along with development of cooperative marketing organizations,

would have a high payoff. Problems in the sheep and goat industry can be solved by
reducing livestock numbers, assuring that rotational grazing is practiced, and that a
more even distribution of grazing isobtained. Allowing the prices of mutton and

goat meat to rise would divert much of the illegal trade insheep, goats, and wool
into legal lands, benefiting the whole of Pakistan. Problems with beef production can

be solved by introducing governmehc
incentives for expanding the capacity of existing
feed mills and constructing additional ones. The same applies to feedyards, slaughterhouses,
and transportation systems. An effective disease and pest control program
also needs to be established, as well as a system of grading and pricing meat to denote

differences inquality. Finally, the system for collecting and analyzing livestock

data needs to be greatly expanded, so that the data can be used informulating policies

and developing programs to improve the livestock industry. These data would include

annual estimates of production, birth and mortality statistcs, feed supplies, fanrage conditions, and other valuable information for identifyingproblems and investment needs.

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