Arooj Zulfiqar

Pakistan needs to adopt vaccination to protect domestic animals from different diseases and explore the potential of the livestock sector to boost the national economy, WealthPK reports.

The outbreaks of different ailments, especially foot and mouth disease, affect the livestock sector of Pakistan every year. Vaccination is an effective means of building immune barriers. In order to protect the livestock sector from diseases, the relevant authorities need to develop a vaccine that will better protect domestic animals from the virus circulated in that area. Pakistan can seek assistance from China to protect its livestock from diseases.

Syed Jawed Hussain Kazmi, Chairman of the Livestock Exporter Association Pakistan, told WealthPK that the potential of the livestock sector couldn’t be ignored in boosting the national economy.

“Livestock provides income and employment to many people associated with this sector. It can also boost our economy by adding up to our foreign exchange reserves, but the diseases among domestic animals are affecting the economy as well as the livestock products,” he said.

Jawed Hussain said that livestock had a substantial role in the agriculture sector and more than 50% population was involved in agro-based activities.

“The total share of the agriculture sector in the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan is about 22.7%. At least 37.4% of the labour force in the country is attached to the agriculture sector. More than eight million rural families depend on livestock to earn their livelihood,” he said.

Having a share of 61.89% in the agriculture sector and 14.04% in the GDP, the livestock sector recorded a growth of 3.26% in the financial year 2021-22 as compared to 2.38% during the same period of the last year.

“Pakistan has renewed its focus on the livestock sector for faster economic growth, poverty alleviation and food security,” said Jawed Hussain.

He said that the livestock sector was already facing constraints like high feed and energy prices, a lack of credit and training facilities for farmers, poor advisory and a shortage of breeding and veterinary services as well as exploitation by the middleman when it was hit hard by the lumpy skin disease (LSD). The disease perished a large number of domestic and affected many small farmers in Sindh, Punjab and other parts of the country.

“The LSD has destroyed the livestock sector in Punjab, which contributes 70% to the national livestock. The small farmers were hit hard by the outbreak of the disease. The disease spared no cattle farm,” he said.

He said that major ailments like LSD, foot and mouth disease (FMD), brucellosis and peste des petits ruminants were affecting Pakistan's livestock industry. He added that Pakistanis exporters could not compete with their rivals because disease-free zones were not certified.

“We require a suitable technique or immunisation to treat LSD. Pakistan must utilise Chinese technologies. To increase our meat export, FMD-free certification will be required. Pakistan can seek assistance from China, which has established successful animal disease-free zones and has vast experience in the field,” Jawed Hussain told WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk