Lifeless livestock

While many know of the
aining cats and dogs phenomenon, floating cows and water buffaloes is a unique situation that was witnessed in the aftermath of the recent floods.
In a recently circulated communication, the UNs Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) suggests that nearly 200,000 livestock have died and millions more are affected - struck by disease, marooned or just abandoned altogether.
"Our surveys are still being conducted in all four provinces, so the numbers published earlier are likely to be revised in the next few days," Aly Khan of the FAO told BR Research. In all likelihood, the numbers are going to rise, and so will the loss. Livestock is an investment avenue for the rural population of the country. When times are good, the rural rich accumulate animals, and in tough times, they sell them off to earn much needed cash.
Animal husbandry is a labour intensive enterprise. Though a breakdown of numbers is not available, significant proportions of the 45 percent of labour force employed in the agriculture sector earns a living by tending to livestock. Livestock contributes 11.5 percent to the countrys GDP - bigger than the contribution of major (7 percent) and
minor crops (2.4 percent) combined.
Damage to the livestock has started impacting the supply of milk and dairy products. "Quarter-litre milk cartons are difficult to find in the city, and shopkeepers have started charging a price premium on litre packs of milk", one resident of Karachi complained.
Unpackaged milk, though available, is becoming increasingly dearer according to market sources. Milk prices have risen by nearly 20 percent in the local market over the last fiscal year, and are expected to rise further by 7~8 percent.
"Milk prices are already hovering around Rs56 per litre, we expect them to rise to the Rs60 mark in the weeks ahead, because of high costs and scant availability of fodder," says Jameel Memon of the Sindh Dairy and Breeding Farm.
Meat prices are expected to rise significantly in the weeks and months to come, despite the fact that "those with a few cattle will be forced to sell at distressed prices," according to Dr Mohammad Afzal, a livestock expert at Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.
Afzal argues that the country must mobilize veterinary staff to check and prevent the spread of disease in animals, while at the same time providing hay or wheat fodder to the animals salvaged from the floods.
Since livestock affects the livelihood of millions, the government must take long-term measures for restocking cattle and developing animal shelters. And in the meanwhile, given the primary role milk plays in public nutrition, policy makers should strive to secure availability at affordable prices to avert a public health disaster.