PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to provide special breed of Australian cows to farmers to increase meat and milk production in the province.
The KP livestock department has said that the program will be launched in tribal and settled districts simultaneously. In the tribal districts, the government will pay 80% while in settled are 50% price of cow will be bear by the government while the rest will be paid by the farmers concerned.
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The officials said that each selected farmer will be provided 10 cows in settled districts and five cows in the tribal districts. At present, there are three different breeds of Australian cows available in the market, with prices ranging from $2 2,800 to $3,500. The Australian cow breed is also available in the local farms. The officials said that both local and international markets will be surveyed before the purchase of the cattle.
The provincial government has allocated Rs1 billion for this project.
The officials said that for the initial stage, 300 farmers have been selected and soon the purchasing process will be started. He said that a cow produces 25 to 30 liters of milk while a local Sahiwal breed buffaloes produces 4 to 7 liters of milk. “With the Australian breed, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be able to reach the important milestone of becoming self-sufficient in milk and meat production,” the livestock department officials said.
In 2018, a company in Punjab has signed agreement with an Australian company that enabled the farmers to get access to Australian livestock. The company said that the cow is helpful in making the dairy business profitable and meeting the country’s milk and meat requirements.
Pakistan stands fifth in the world with over 36 million tonnes per annum milk production.