HYDERABAD, April 21: The fate of Livestock & Dairy Development Board (L&DDB) hangs in balance after 18th Amendment.

The situation has created disappointment among employees as they are certain that they would be shown the door soon after the project is formally closed.

The Federal Ministry of Livestock and Dairy Development is one of those departments that has been transferred to the provincial government. Jobs of employees hired for the project are also at stake. Launched in 2007 the programme is hit by bottlenecks since then as cattle breeders feel disappointed. Although they responded positively to the programme with a will to learn modern techniques of cattle breeding as that greatly helped them animal breeding.

Until now the farmers were accustomed to conventional cattle breeding. They had been given training about vaccination, de-worming, disease control, farm feasibility and record keeping which was something non-existent in villages. They used to get Rs400 per mutton producing animal and Rs1400 for beef producing animal. Each animal was required to go through a 90 to 120 days of fattening cycle. Programme is aimed at to alleviating poverty and promoting livestock breeding and meat development.

The farmers are advised accordingly how to control diet of livestock to improve animals' health and how they are vaccinated to avoid diseases.

Other components of the project, like establishment of slaughter houses, training of butchers and linkage between producers and processors did not, however, take place. Cattle farmers confirmed that Feedlot Fattening Officer (FFOs) used to visit and brief them about breeding patterns.

As per PC-I of the project, with a total cost of Rs1520 million, would stand closed on June 2011 but liabilities of cattle farmers now stand at Rs14.4 million in Sindh alone as there had been no payment to them for animals registered in a few days of August 2009 and then in January-February 2010. Last registration was done in Feb 2010. Around 400 to 500 are said to be registered farmers under the meat development programme.

According to Planning and Development Commission (P&DC) monitoring report issued in September 2010,

“overall Rs791.738 million were allocated for meat development programme till June 2010 which is 50 per cent of approved cost of Rs1520.847 million. Against this Rs485.884 million were released and Rs458.656 million were spent till February 2010 which is worked out as 94 per cent of releases, 58 per cent of allocations and 30 per cent of approved cost”.

The report said that overall physical progress achieved up to February 2010 remained behind schedule as only 180 persons were appointed against a target of 225 persons, financial support was given to 12,494 fattening farms against the target of 25,912 and three consultancies could be availed against 13. The report described 'less release of funds and restrictions imposed by ministry on registration of feedlot fattening animals for slow progress of programme.”

The planning commission's monitoring report recommended to the ministry of livestock and L&DDB to look into the matter and request the government for continuation of project till its completion keeping in view its successful implementation, importance and benefits to [livestock] farmers. The report said that the project's execution – proposed to be stopped in July 2010 due to its transfer to provinces has been extended till June 2011. It also called for adequate and timely release of funds.

The project officials discontinued registration of animals for nine months of 2008-09 so the envisaged target of 68,040 animals was missed. Likewise, no new feedlot fattening farms could be set-up in 2009-10 due to non-release of funds, causing wrong impression and misunderstanding among farmers about project. The project has come to a grinding halt for around one year due to non-release of funds, resulting in accumulation of liabilities of farmers.

Approximately 36,000 animals were registered within just two months of July and August 2009 and in January/February 2010, 14,800 cattle were registered in Sindh. There was an overwhelming response by cattle farmers in Sindh in 2007-08 when 93,000 animals were registered against targeted registration of 96,000 animals and since January-February 2010, not a single registration was allowed.'

The federal government seems least concerned to take care of such project. It has asked provinces to handle them on their own after 18th Amendment and increased share under new NFC Award which gives them more money.