CM Sindh stresses need to invest in livestock sector for food security

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Thursday said that Pakistan harbors huge livestock nevertheless deficient in milk and depend on the import of huge quantities of dry milk powder.

While talking to the media just after inaugurating `Sindh Institute of Animal Health’ Korangi established by the Livestock department, Murad Ali Shah said, the need of the hour is to invest in the livestock sector for food security and poverty alleviation.

He was accompanied by Minister Livestock & Fisheries Bari Pitrafi, PPP Senator Jam Mehtab Dahar.

The chief minister said that there was a big opportunity for Pakistan and especially access to Hallal Market with huge export potential. However, due to prevalent Foot Mouth Disease (FMD) has put bans on export of meat and milk to most of the developed countries.

“Therefore, there is a need to control FMD through vaccination by establishing an FMD vaccine manufacturing plant in the Sindh,” he said.

Earlier, the minister Livestock and Fisheries Bari Pitafi delivered his welcome speech and briefed the chief minister about the measures taken by his department for ensuring animal health.

The chief minister formally inaugurates Sindh Institute of Animal Health and a vaccination lab.

The Director General of the department, Dr Nazir Kalhoro also spoke on the occasion and briefed the chief minister about different units of the institute, including poultry section and egg hatchery.

Talking to media on the occasion, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he had held a meeting with the Pakistan Cricket Board to rehabilitate Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad.

“I am still of the opinion that the PSL and international cricket matches must be organized in Hyderabad and we are working on it,” he said and added due to COVID situation the implementation of the proposal has become delayed.

The chief minister said that the Contribution of Agriculture sector to the national GDP was 19.3 percent, whereas Livestock contributed 60.6 percent to Agriculture and 11.7 percent to GDP.

“The Agriculture including livestock is the mainstay of the masses in rural and rural economy cannot be lifted without interventions in livestock, which will ultimately result in development of allied sectors and direct employment in rural and remote areas,” he said.

The CM directed Livestock and Fisheries dept to introduce a scheme to install refrigeration systems in the storage tanks of the boats fishing in the deep sea.

“This will help to keep the entire catch safe and healthy,” he said and added otherwise a large stock of the fishermen went into trash when returning from fishing trips.

He said that it was evident from the fact that only two industries have survived in a sustainable manner in Pakistan - it is either technology or agro-based industry.

He said, “Population growth, increase in per capita income and the potential for export are fuelling the demand of livestock and livestock products.

The rise in production cost has increased the retailers and consumers’ price index for milk, yoghurt, meat, fish, eggs, and other items.”

He added that after the promulgation of 18th Constitutional amendment, it was now the prime duty of provinces to take efforts for food security and quality food production.

Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the Livestock and Fisheries of Sindh dealt with three major production subsectors-Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries responsible to provide milk, meat, fish and eggs as a unique source of quality food and animal protein in which we were already deficient in the face of ever increasing population.

The CM Sindh said that the livestock sector required special initiatives to bring food security in the province and make sure the public health was safeguarded.

“It is assumed that more than 70 percent of infections human being is facing today have been contracted from animals and about 60 percent emerging infectious diseases are transmitted from animals to humans,” he said and added therefore, the world was working on `One-Health’concept that was health of humans was dependent upon health of plants and animals.

The chief minister said that the Vaccine Production, timely diagnosis of Diseases and control of zoonotic diseases was of prime importance in this sense.

“Sindh Institute of Animal Health Karachi established in 2018 is involved to carry out such tasks,” he said and added the Sindh Government has invested through Development schemes to develop the capacity of the province for vaccine production, zoonotic disease and public health.

He emphasized on the need to invest smartly and largely in the livestock sector, which returned in manifold what was invested.