Punjab, Veterinary Corps to cooperate in livestock breeding

LAHORE:Punjab Agriculture and Livestock Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani explored various areas of interest with DG, Remount Veterinary and Farms Corps (RVFC) Major General Shahid Mehmood for cooperation in livestock breed improvement.

Addressing the meeting, Major General Shahid Mehmood said that the Pakistan Army-run Centre of Excellence for Bovine Genetics, Okara, Pakistan is providing research and training facilities in vitro embryo production with the aim of high-breed cow embryos breeding and development. We want to increase meat production in the country and expand its exports to the Gulf countries, for which the supply chain will have to be improved, DG maintained.

He added that we have good breed animals but we need the cooperation of the competent team of Punjab Livestock Department to enhance the breeding process on the permanent basis.

Major Gen Shahid Mehmood observed that the recent budget of the govt has allocated a lot of funds for livestock projects and farming. He said that the process of traceability and tagging of animals leads to an increase in their value, for which farmers' awareness campaign is the need of the hour. Director General appreciated the initiative taken by the Livestock department to ban the slaughter of female animals.

He added that we have to develop our breed along with setting up genetic labs in the country to raise our good will and status internationally. Provincial Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Syed Ashiq Hussain Livestock Kirmani reiterated the commitment that cooperation between Livestock Department and RVFC would continue to achieve common goals. Chief Minister Livestock initiatives such as livestock card, foot and mouth disease control programme and distribution of free animals to rural poor widows are being successfully implemented. A committee has been constituted to implement the projects in the Livestock sector under which the task has been given to involve the private sector in these projects.

We are keenly interested in buying exotic animals to raise superior breeds of foreign bred animals in Punjab. We are going to create zones in Punjab in which every animal will be tagged and vaccinated, the minister maintained. Six thousand animals will be tagged within two years in Punjab.