Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema inaugurated on Thursday a scheme under which Angora wool, made from Angora rabbit’s fur, will be used for weaving shawls, thereby increasing the production of wool products in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The inauguration ceremony was held in Jaglot village, located at a distance of 40 kilometres from Gilgit, following the arrival of 10 pairs of Angora rabbits from Nepal.

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Chairperson Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan, who was also present on the occasion, said the rabbits would be distributed among all districts of GB in phases.

He estimated that wool from the fur of one Angora rabbit could be used for weaving four to six shawls of high quality every year.

Dr Khan added that the breeding of Angora rabbits could help reduce poverty in GB as it would contribute to increasing the production of wool products and create employment for women.

In 2019, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Punjab government had launched the prime minister's ‘Backyard Poultry Initiative’ under which GB, along with Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, was to get five million pre-vaccinated high laying chickens at subsidised rates. The programme was aimed at addressing the issue of malnutrition through the provision of cheap poultry products.