Pakistan is one of the proud possessors of best breeds for milk production i.e. Nili Ravi and Kundhi buffaloes, Sahiwal and Red Sindhi cattle and for beef production Tharparkar, Bhagnari Kankrej and Dajal cattle which have a quality of fast-growing.

There is a lot of potential for beef production in these areas, which is not being exploited due to lack of interest and absence of facilities of beef-farming through rearing of calves on scientific lines.

On an average, there is a production of about 30,000 calves in Landhi and neighbouring dairy colonies of Karachi every month and this is mainly due to the 10 per cent replacement of dairy buffaloes per month, and having more than 400,000 dairy animals round the year. These dairy colonies are established for providing milk to Karachiites, which however hardly fulfil 50 per cent of requirements of the people living in the metropolitan city.

After 15-20 per cent mortality or holding of calves with supplier every day, there is availability of about 1,000 buffalo calves at dairy colonies with a ratio of 50 per cent male and 50 per cent female, hardly 20 per cent female calves from high milk producing buffaloes, progressive farmers are rearing from remaining 80 per cent calves and almost 10 per cent die due to poor management, while 70 per cent (about 20,000) available for rearing, are sent to butchers at the tender age of 3 - 4 days for slaughtering, hardly weighing 30 kg of poor quality beef.

Urban dairy farmers are of the opinion that they and their ‘gawala’s’ (farm workers) are not trained for the purpose, Moreover, they also face shortage of space and can hardly spare two litres of milk daily for feeding to calves.

But the question remains, how to start beef-farming on scientific lines, and whether this could be a profitable business.

Karachi provides the base for dairy-farming and so let us start from Karachi. The Barani unutilized lands available in districts Thatta and Badin where sweet water is available can profitably be utilized for the purpose. Interested farmers be provided 2—3 acres with a given target of rearing about 200 - 300 calves per unit. The second alternate could be that interested people in Badin and Thatta could be provided purchase loans for a 15-day period while the rearing cost be borne by farmers.

The basic requirements of rearing calves are as follows:

a) availability of land for farming;

b) availability of healthy calves;

c) Supplying technical know-how to farmers regarding

management, feeding and disease control;

d) availability of finance. and

e) availability of milk replacer.

Let us assume that the Barani land is provided to farmers and the department of animal hHusbandry, Sindh, is capable of providing training to nearly 300 farmers for different disciplines of meat and dairy farming. The next stage would be the availability of (1) finance and (2) milk replacer.

So far as finances are concerned, the Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, during a meeting of the national livestock and dairy development board, on 17.10.2002 rightly said : “We should initiate developments in the products like milk, meat, wool etc. and the chairman ADBP and the Khushhali Bank should prepare policies for providing small loans for different crops of livestock, especially in rural areas of the province on easy terms and conditions”.

For production of milk replacer on cheaper rates federal government may give this target to Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) or some any other donor agency like FAO/UNDP for providing credit to establish a plant in Karachi.

Plan for rearing calves:

Calving up to 4 days: + litre colostrum/dam’s milk which is essential for immunisation against diseases to calves;

5 to 15 days: + litre dam’s milk through sucking, + litre milk replacer per time through bottle; 16 to 30 days: (1) , litre Dam’s milk through sucking per time; (2) milk replacer l 1/2 litre per time; (3) lush green grass, mainly leaves of the green grass; (4) vaccination against contagious diseases; (5) drenching against parasitic diseases.

31 to 60 days: (1) milk replacer 1 litre per time; (2) lush green grass mixed with chaffed; (3) rice straw or wheat bhoosa; (4) vaccination against contagious diseases; (5) drenching against parasitic diseases.

61 days onwards: (1) grazing in the field of fodder; (2) green grass still feeding; (3) Urea treated wheat straw 4 per cent which will increase the digestibility of wheat straw by 70 per cent; (4) vaccination against contagious diseases; (5) drenching against parasitic diseases.

13 to 18 months: (1) The above formula; (2) urea molasses block or powder 3 per cent which will finish the calf for beef production and will be a cheaper source of protein as compared to other sources available in market.

The average weight gain will be more than 250 kg., which is the best production, and the beef will be with more than 60 per cent fleshy, nutritious, and tasty. Per calf upto 18 months age the average expenses will be around Rs11,000 and profit will be Rs3000. After Karachi, beef production units can be established at Quetta, Lahore, Islamabad through purchasing and transporting/shifting calves from Karachi.

This will not only provide beef for the local consumption but 50% of the live animals or beef can be exported to the neighbouring countries, where requirement / demand is also increasing day by day. The export will increase the percentage of profit by at least 50% than the local consumption.

Through beef farming / rearing of calves not only hygienic beef will be produced but people of metropolitan cities will be saved of using un-hygienic beef of calves aging from 3 - 4 days, which can create digestion problems.