HYDERABAD, Sept 8: The Sindh Animal Husbandry Department has launched the Strengthening of Livestock Services Project in six districts of the province to boost livestock production and alleviate poverty among breeders and farmers in rural areas.

Dr Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh, director of the department for Hyderabad who is also national co-manager of the project for Sindh, said that the project would be launched in collaboration with European Union in Thatta, Badin, Tharparkar, Sanghar, Khairpur and Dadu districts in the first phase.

He said at a meeting of the project officers at his office on Monday that farmers’ producer group would be organised for the installation of a wool processing plant in Tharparkar under the project.

The plant would help farmers process wool from their animals through cooperative association and increase income, he said.

He directed the officers to undertake joint action in collaboration with NGOs, private veterinarians, livestock department and farmers to increase disease reporting and surveillance and capacity of district livestock staff to achieve the goals of the project.

He said that a data collection camp would be established at the border area of Naukot district to record migration of animals from and to the desert. In addition, six disease reporting centres, one each in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Mohammad Khan, Naushahro Feroze and Sukkur would be established to provide timely help to livestock owners and control animal diseases.

He said that the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (CVDL) Tandojam would be strengthened under the project to analyse blood samples of livestock.

He said that poultry birds would be provided to the poor women in rural areas to help them increase their daily income and impart them necessary training in poultry keeping and its transaction.

Besides, breeding bulls, rams and bucks would also be provided in targeted districts for breeding purpose so that genetic potential of the livestock could be improved.

Dr. Shaikh said that efforts would be made to propagate multi-cut fodder in targeted districts and hoped that the project would develop new trends to reduce poverty among farming communities in the province.