Meat yield has remained almost the same. No worthwhile investment has been made in increasing beef and mutton production. Most of the livestock production is still subsistence-oriented.

NWFP Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Hidayatullah Khan had said last year that model 'beef farm' would be set up in every district of the province but nothing has been done in this regard so far.

The Livestock Vision-2020 NWFP reveals that the province is self-sufficient in milk production but deficient in meat production which needs immediate attention of the government.

The Director General L&DD NWFP, Dr Sher Mohammad, said that in absence of superior beef-breed, the low-yield meat cattle - cows and buffaloes - were slaughtered for beef.

“However, LDDB under its meat development programme, has established feedlot fattening farms wherein male buffalo calves are fattened,” he said.

The provincial beef requirements stand at around 0.783 million tons against the available 0.229 million tons. Mutton's need stands at 0.499 million tons against the availability of 0.096 MT, he said.

“According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2007-08, NWFP produces 0.35 MT of meat annually. The average availability of meat is 31 grams/person/day (GPD) where as the requirement is 56 GPD - a gap of about 25gm per day. By establishing beef farms, the gap between demand and availability can be bridged making the province self-sufficient in meat,” Sher Mohammad said.

Artificial insemination (AI) could develop beef-breed. “But it requires abundant and smooth availability of semen for AI services. Frontier has only two semen production units. Besides, there are as many nitrogen-production plants at Peshawar to keep semen safe. The province has 361 artificial insemination centres (AICs). More such AICs are needed. The government is planning to strengthen these facilities,” he said.

“Opening of more AICs, development and promotion of breed improvement societies, encouragement of private sector to establish AICs and SPUs, introduction of beef breeds, range management for communal grazing, small enterprises for compound feed manufacturing, promotion of high-yield varieties of fodder crops and development of wasteland of southern districts into pastures and grasing lands are some of the steps that need to be taken urgently,” he said.

Beef breed should be developed through crossing our local breed having the capacity with exotic beef breeds. Bagnari breed found in Balochistan can be used for beef production after crossing it with other exotic beef breed. In Balochistan, this breed is being crossed with American Beef Master and the offspring is called Nari Master.

“The weight at the time of maturity of local cattle is 300kg whereas in case of cross-bred it increases to 350kg,” Sher Mohammad added.

Cattle namely Sahiwal, Redsindhi and Achai while the Nili Ravi, Azikhili and Kundi buffaloes, Hashtnagri, Kaghani and Michni sheep and the Damani, Beetal, Kamori and Teddy goats are some of the local breeds that can be used in cross-breeding.

“There is not a single beef cattle farm in the province like the one in Sibbi in Balochistan. Improvement in animal productivity will increase income of farmers,” said Sajjad Haider, a farmer.