PESHAWAR: The Livestock and Dairy Development Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has successfully cultivated a new and highly nutritious variety of beetroot on a trial basis for use as cattle feed to help improve the health and milk production of dairy cows.

The experiment was conducted at the Government Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm, Harichand, in Charsadda district.

This is the first time that a highly nutritious variety of beetroot has been cultivated on 12 kanals of land at the farm for use as cattle feed for milking cows, said Field Assistant Inayatullah.

He said around 3,000 beetroot bulbs were produced per kanal, with each bulb weighing approximately nine to 10 kilogrammes on average.

The produce will be tested on milking cows to evaluate its impact on their health and milk production capacity.

According to estimates, about seven beetroot bulbs are sufficient feed for one imported Friesian Australian cow, while four to five bulbs are adequate for a local cow for one feeding.

Highlighting the benefits of beetroot as cattle feed, Inayatullah said the crop yields excellent results on a relatively small piece of land and provides a level of energy not commonly found in other fodder crops.

He said the beetroot bulbs contain around 20 per cent natural sugars, making them a rich source of energy. The leaves contain up to 16 per cent crude protein, while the whole plant helps improve digestion and can enhance milk thickness by 2 to 2.5 per cent.

The objective behind the experiment was to introduce a fodder crop that also serves as a strong energy source for livestock, said Project Coordinator Dr Sirajuddin.

He added that the leaves of the beetroot plant are also palatable and can be used as feed for cattle and other ruminants, including goats and rams.

Sharing details about the production cost, Field Assistant Inayatullah said the department spent around Rs100,000 on cultivation over four kanals of land, including expenditures on labour, seed, fertiliser and irrigation.

He said the cultivation of four kanals produced around 12,000 beetroot bulbs, each weighing approximately nine to 10kg.

With each bulb estimated to weigh around eight kilogrammes, the total production from the cultivation is calculated at 96,000kg of beetroot.

Inayatullah said if the price of the new beetroot variety is estimated at only Rs10 per kilogramme, the total value of the 96,000kg produce would reach around Rs960,000.

Livestock officials advised farmers to adopt cultivation of the new beetroot variety, saying it is not only economically profitable but also highly beneficial for livestock health and milk production.

In the prevailing situation of rising prices of grass and fodder, beetroot can be introduced as an economically viable and protein-rich feed for livestock, they observed.

They said if a farmer owns land, the production cost for four kanals remains around Rs100,000, while cultivation on leased land may increase the expenditure to around Rs200,000.

However, officials maintained that farmers could still earn an estimated profit of Rs700,000 to Rs800,000 from the cultivation of 96,000kg of beetroot.

Farmers can obtain guidance and seeds from the Harichand Dairy Farm as well as other livestock facilities operating in different parts of the province, they added.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026