DAIRY AND MILK PROCESSING AND THEIR FUTURE PROSPECTS IN BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN
Published: November 21, 2011
By: Muhammad Azam Kakar, Maqsood Ahmad Khan Juma Khan Kakarsulemankhail, Fouzia Sattar and Shakeel Babar and Muhammad Khalid Baloch
Summary
Livestock sector in Balochistan is generally characterized by low per animal productivity. The average productivity of ruminants is far below than its potentially
achievable levels. Dairy animals though are in low numbers but are somehow meeting the basic requirements of people of the province. The buffalos are confined mostly in canal-irrigated districts of the province which are badly affected by the recent floods. Indigenous cattle have low potential both in terms of milk and meat but well suited to the local conditions. Balochistan has a success story in the acclimatization of pure breed Friesian and establishment of Friesian crossbred animals all over the province by employing the artificial insemination techniques. Though improved feed, control of parasites, and most importantly through better breeding strategies and introduction of modern biotechnologies productivity gap can be narrowed. The main constraints in transforming the traditional dairy farming into commercial enterprise includes nomadic way of life, small herd size, scarcity of water and poor range lands. Conventionally, many efforts have been launched to transfer knowledge and skills to dairy farming community but those could not sustain due to their faulty design. They use practices which are not conducive to enhanced dairy production since no system exists for their training in modern dairy and husbandry practices. The public sector infrastructure and institutional base needs to be strengthened and reorganized to meet the emerging needs of the growing animal population in the province. So far, emphasis has been mainly on the animal health side, on prevention of livestock diseases and their control measures. Time has now come to devote equal attention towards the dairy production and management through modern biotechnologies and their application. But we are still away from the starting line of advancement especially in animal production. The current situation especially after the post-flood scenario, the dairy and milk processing in Balochistan demands a review of the whole system and could be a blessing in disguise to correct the situation for future dairy development in the province.
Keywords: Milk, cow, buffalo, dairy production, artificial insemination, Balochistan
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