LAHORE, Sept 26: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has assured government’s full support to the livestock and poultry sector, announcing a four-member committee to enlist all problems being faced by it within a month.
The recommendations of the committee would be implemented in just two weeks, he said while inaugurating the two-day National Poultry and Livestock Congress organized by the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Association and the Livestock Department at the Aiwan-i-Iqbal on Friday.
The committee will be headed by Law Minister Raja Basharat and comprised PVMA chairman Dr Mohammed Arshad, Livestock Minister Haroon Sultan and secretary Akhlaq Ahmad.
The chief minister said the government was establishing a research centre at a cost of Rs400 million to conduct research on poultry and livestock.
He said the implementation period of the pilot project started in Jhang, Sahiwal, Muzaffargarh and Okara to provide veterinary health care to farmers at their doorsteps had been reduced from four to two years. It would be implemented all over the Punjab if proved successful even after a year, he said.
The CM said a Rs80 million scheme had also been initiated to protect and increase the production of Sahiwal breed cows. He said Pakistan rated fifth among the milk producing countries, but this level should be increased. The government would provide full support to milk producers who were also being provided with chillers for safe transportation of milk.
He said he would ask the Bank of Punjab to provide loans to livestock farmers as the sector was directly related to the alleviation of poverty. He said the donor agencies which were providing loans and grants for the uplift of the agriculture sector had also been asked to include livestock in their aid programmes.
The chief minister said due to the importance of this sector, he had held a four-hour meeting to discuss the problems being faced by it. “I feel that without considering and removing the shortcomings, the sector cannot develop,” he said.
He said the sector was not given the required attention in the past, but his government was keeping it on its priority list along with education, health and agriculture sectors. He said recruitments in the Livestock Department would be made on a regular basis and all other problems of the veterinary doctors and staff would be resolved. Later, the chief minister distributed shields among PVMA office-bearers and organizers of the congress.
The livestock minister said the aim of the congress was to take advantage of the knowledge of experts in the field and to improve government functioning in its light. He said the first step taken by the government was about the progress of the agriculture sector. It was serious in resolving problems of the poultry sector.
He said the provincial government in league with the federal government and the related institutions would enable the livestock sector to compete the world after the implementation of the WTO. He said the Livestock Department had prepared all kinds of vaccines and would provide all emergency assistance to livestock farmers. From now onwards all commercial banks would extend them loans, he said.
The minister said the government was arranging a horse and cattle show in Lahore early next year and award the breeders of the best cattle.