ISLAMABAD, May 17: Pakistan’s total animal production has grown by 30 per cent in 10 years (1996-2006) compared with 21 per cent in the previous decade of 1986-1996, says Pakistan Livestock Census 2006, results of which have partially been questioned by international experts.
The census conducted by Agricultural Census Organisation over the last 16 months was released here on Thursday by Secretary Statistics Division Asad Elahi. The livestock survey is carried out after 10 years.
Mr Elahi said that field work of the survey took about 11 months in five phases between September 2005 to July 2006 and sampling was carried out in 12 per cent of Pakistan areas and covered 26 per cent housing units of this area including Tharparker and Choolistan where there was large concentration of animal population. The sample survey was based on a total of 1.03 million questionnaires.
He said the cattle production has registered a growth of 45 per cent under the 2006 census compared with 19 per cent of the previous census. Of this, buffalo production grew by 35 per cent, sheep production by 13 per cent and was higher than 29 per cent and four per cent respectively of the previous census.
Goat production also increased by 31 per cent in 2006 census but was significantly lower than 42 per cent growth recorded in the 1996 census. The census revealed that cow insemination had increased from 0.05 million in 1996 to 1.68m, showing an increase of 236 per cent. Likewise, buffalo insemination increased by 106 per cent to 1.11 million in 2006 compared to 0.54 million in 1996.
Milk production increased by 36 per cent to 38.37 billion litres per annum in 2006 from 28.26 billion litres in 1996, says the livestock census. The census revealed that that number of camels in Pakistan has now reached 0.9 million, up by 13 per cent since 1996.
Interestingly, the number of mules and donkeys increased by 18 per cent and 19.9 per cent respectively since 1996 and stood at 0.155 million and 4.268 million but the number of horses increased nominally by three per cent and stood at 344,253 in 2006.
The census results were presented for review to Dr Hans-Siegfried Grunwaldt, an expert of international repute of Germany, who generally appreciated the structure and questionnaire but questioned some of the outcomes.
For example, he said that “for sheep, the stock of young animals (below one year) has increased by 22.3pc while the stock of the female animals elder than one year has increased by 3.5 per cent only. It would be helpful to have an explanation for that. Could it be change of utilisation of animals resulting in extended raising?”
He also said that the time of data collection was dispersed over time and regions between September 2005 and July 2006, which he said should have been “as far as possible at a common point of time”.
He said that “stocks of animals might vary seasonally and thus might have an impact on the regional results of this census. I guess in spring/summer more calves might be born than in autumn/winter. This could explain that in NWFP (between March and June) 72 per cent of the cattle cows had been in-milk where as in Punjab (between September and January) the rate was 62 per cent only. Moreover, it is not indicated whether or not the previous census has been conducted at the same point of time as the present census”.
