The government has decided to initiate three livestock projects this month to increase livestock productivity under the Prime Minister's Initiatives for Livestock.
Sources said that the projects included: (i) Save the Calf; (ii) Fattening of Calf and; (iii) Backyard Poultry. These are being initiated from this month with the objective to increase production of livestock as well as export-oriented meat.
Under the "Save the Calf" project, the government will distribute 0.380 million calves to provinces, AJK and ICT. Under another project titled "Fattening of Calf," the government would distribute 0.375 million calves to increase meat production in the country.
Under this project, the government will distribute 0.320 million calves to Balochistan, eighty thousand to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 0.150 million to Punjab, 0.1milion to Sindh, fifteen thousand to GB, fifteen thousand to AJK and fifteen thousand calves will be given to Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
Moreover, under the "Backyard Poultry" project, which was launched on September 2, 2019, the government is distributing 5 million poultry including hens and cocks to people in rural areas to boost the local poultry industry and fight poverty.
The federal government is giving 0.5 million poultry to Balochistan,1 million poultry to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2 million poultry to Punjab,1 million poultry to Sindh, 0.150 million to Gilgit-Baltistan, 0.250 million to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and 0.1 million to Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) residents.
The government is giving 30 per cent subsidy and rest of price will be borne by the consumers, while more than 0.1 million families would be getting benefit from these projects.