ISLAMABAD: As many as ten Animal Sciences research projects worth over Rs.130 million are underway all across the country with special focus on promoting livestock and fisheries sectors of agriculture, Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed said here Wednesday.
Dr. Iftikhar was addressing the a daylong Inspection Workshop of ALP-PARC Funded Nationally coordinated Animal Sciences Projects here Wednesday.
Animal scientists and representatives from all provinces of Pakistan Including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit Biltistan and Azad Kahsmir participated in the workshop, focused to coordinate efforts of all the provinces for the development of livestock sector of the country.
"Although PARC has no research establishment exclusively mandated to undertake animal science research in provinces, however, agriculture Linkage Programme (ALP) is a major source of funding for such research project," Dr. Iftikhar said.
He said that in the post devolution scenario, the PARC is currently focusing on providing financial support for nationally coordinated projects instead of individual institutional projects.
Iftikhar said that most of the issues currently confronting growth of livestock and fisheries sector are addressed through these national coordinated projects.
These projects focus on improving feeding management, development of breeding and reproduction strategies, control of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease of goats, major infectious diseases of poultry and intensification of fish culture.
He said that besides these projects, new project portfolios have also been opened for sponsoring exchange of agriculture scientists and experts, publication of research papers in international journals and presentation of research papers in international seminars and workshops.
Speaking on the occasion, Member PARC, Dr. R. H. Usmani said that the ALP projects have components in all the provinces and the federation units and are intended to improve per unit productivity of livestock and fisheries sectors.
He said that livestock sector's contribution to the agriculture GDP is more than 51pc and 11pc to the agriculture exports and the sector has shown growth rate better than crops sectors over the last decade.
However, he added, there are several major issues which needed attention adding that out of the ongoing 10 projects five are on national coordination which has become a major function after devolution under 18th Constitutional Amendment.
He said that the workshop would being all provincial scientists on board to address a common problem with coordinated efforts to help develop livestock sector for the overall development of the country.
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