Livestock Action Plan in Pakistan

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations at Islamabad, Pakistan provided me with an opportunity to serve the people of the war-hit region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Of course, this was an exciting task for me, as I have interacted with various stakeholders across the livestock-based value chain during my 36-years regular career as a civil officer with the provincial government and as a professor/dean at the University of Agriculture Peshawar. I got a productive interaction with the private sector, policy makers and international players through academia-industries-government linkages.

The dairy, mutton, poultry and fish farmers are usually landless people, living a life with little access to quality foods and education. Their income is usually very little in spite of having a huge resource base and the food they are producing for the consumers in the form of milk, meat and eggs, is neither assured for quality parameters, nor monitored under some traceability system. They are subjected to penalty by the district administration when they sale meat and milk of pure quality at somewhat higher prices. Hence the livestock and poultry farmers are facing unbearable financial burden and most of these valuable assets are on way to total collapse. Ten public and private sector organizations are mandated for serving the Livestock Sector covering extension, research, fisheries, education, livestock markets, slaughter houses price regulation, food safety, trade and farmers welfare. However, lack of coordination and their apathy towards the farmers and processors, has left the burning issues unattended.

This Mission has tried his best to prepare KP Livestock Action Plan 2019 as a relief for the weaker stakeholders across the livestock value chain, in the public and private sectors, within a governance framework of Academia-Industry-Government-Society Nexus. An autonomous Livestock Technopark Peshawar (LTP) has been suggested to be established, initially as a Task Force through an executive order and later on through an Act of the Legislative Assembly/Ordinance of Governor; with full regulatory, administrative, financial and legislative powers to protect all the stakeholders of the livestock industry, and engage all relevant private and public sector organizations with shared authority and responsibility.

At the end of the year 2021 LTP would be able to generate direct decent employment models to the tune of 18,000, each one earning about Rs. 50,000 per month and employing five more persons each.

Hygienic, Halal and Organic food would be produced per annum valuing Rs. 5,098 billion. A fraction of 10% may be injected into Halal Meat and Biotech Export Market. Motivated young graduates in veterinary, engineering, medical, business and social sciences would be joining LTP for their career development and transformation of ideas into actions to serve the society. Quality conscious consumers would be having access to traceable food products in the towns. Public and private sector organizations would have access to sufficient operational funds for motivating their staff and serving people. And this is the Beacon of Hope committed by me through title of this FAO-KP Livestock Action Plan 2019.

    

I presented the FAO KP Livestock Action Plan 2019 to their Islamabad office as National Consultant. Some powerful stakeholders developed conflict of interests and they resisted the report because it focused on empowerment of the weaker stakeholders across the livestock value chain. They denied the already approved TORs, on the basis of which the report was prepared. I was not comfortable with these developments as they limited the scope of the National Consultancy up to unjustified wishes and desires of Director General LDD Extension against the interests of the private sector, consumers, research setup and the academia.

In fact, the DG LDD Ext is the most powerful stakeholder of the Livestock Sector with a huge network of veterinary institutions in the province and an access to over 90% of the financial and administrative resources. Based on these facts, the DG LDD Ext was the sole and dominant actor behind formulation of the KP Livestock Policy. The policy ignored the interests of the LDD Research Wing, the Universities and the private sector, including livestock farmers and product processors.

As a result, the research wing could not grow and its laboratories could not get accredited for quality control practices. Feedback for vaccine quality was not provided. Instead of strengthening the vaccine production at Veterinary Research Institute in qualitative and quantitative terms, the government relied on import of vaccines from abroad, utilising valuable foreign exchange. No conducive environment was provided to the researchers working at LDD Research and after getting higher qualifications they moved towards the universities, etc., for better job opportunities. LDD Research was not provided opportunities for participating in the mega projects like Prime Minister's Initiatives, although feasible business models were available in the areas like propagation of indigenous and imported poultry breeds as family income generation tools. The KP Livestock Policy 2018 has failed to protect the interests of LDD Research while this Mission noted it with concern.

The four universities working in public sector in the province namely, the University of Agriculture Peshawar (UAP), Gomal University (GU) Dera Ismail Khan, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) and Sheringal University Dir, have been awarding Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and postgraduate degrees. DVM degrees of only one university (GU) have been accredited by Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC); however, their membership of the Council has been suspended. Hostile attitude of PVMC and lack of support by the administration of the respective universities has resulted in constant deterioration in the quality of education at these institutions. The KP Livestock Policy 2018 has failed to address these issues.

The private component of livestock sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa comprise livestock and poultry farmers, product processors, marketing partners and service providers. They are facing numerous challenges related to regulatory, financial, administrative and marketing barriers. They are deprived of the benefits allocated in the form of ADP, PSDF and other funds to the public sector, especially DG LDD Ext. There the basic functional units are the civil veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, centres and mobile clinics. These units are awaiting sick animals for treatment. A good progress report on more sick animals. This is contrary to the development concept of the livestock sector where presence of disease-free, productive, and profitable animals are indicators of better efficiency. The private farmers also keep the livestock and poultry as a source of family income and focus on economic parameters to get higher profits. Here arises a conflict of interests between the private and public sector where the private sector needs healthy and profitable animals and the public sector needs sick animals to keep the hospital running.