World Bank’s $137m project secured to strengthen livestock: Nasir

KARACHI: Provincial Minister for Energy, Development and Planning Syed Nasir Hussain Shah stated that the Sindh government ranks sixth in the region for exemplary performance in public-private partnerships.

Under the vision of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, a $137 million project has recently been secured from the World Bank to strengthen the livestock sector.

He made these remarks while addressing the closing ceremony of the Sindh Livestock Expo.

He congratulated the Livestock Department for successfully organising such a large-scale expo. He noted that the expo saw a remarkable turnout, with over one million visitors attending the three-day event. He said it provided farmers, breeders, and investors with an opportunity to collaborate and advance the sector collectively.

Addressing the event, Provincial Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah expressed his longstanding desire for a grand livestock expo in Sindh. Recalling his tenure in the Culture Department, he had envisioned a combined expo for culture, livestock, and agriculture.

He noted the significant shift since 1947 when 65% of the country’s economy depended on crops and 35% on livestock. Today, livestock contributes 65%, while agriculture accounts for 35%.

Sardar Shah remarked that the Red Sindhi cow, which has been bred locally for over 6,000 years, has survived due to private breeders, not government farms.

He urged that government farms should collaborate with private breeders under public-private partnerships to preserve local breeds. He congratulated Muhammad Ali Malkani and expressed hope that the livestock expo would become a permanent feature in Karachi.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025