PESHAWAR
\nThe Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has started work on a mega project to establish 300 small and large livestock and dairy farms in merged tribal districts and 107 in settled districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to bolster milk and meat production in the province.
\nKeeping in view of an availability of vast land in seven merged tribal districts suitable for livestock and dairy farming, the KP Government has expedited work on these projects to make KP self-sufficient in milk and meat production.
\nLivestock Department official told APP on Wednesday that 13.6million litres milk and Rs1,360 million profit were likely to be achieved from these farms under the project to be completed with an estimated cost of Rs4 billion.
\nCows of quality breeds would be imported for these farms and each registered farmer would be provided five cows where they would be properly look after in these farms.
\nIt would be mandatory for each farmer to run the farm for it least five years, he added.
\nKP Government has also launched Rs one billion project in settled districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to bolster livestock and dairy farming keeping in view of its significant role in poverty alleviation and generation of employment opportunities especially in rural areas.
\nUnder Community and Dairy Development Project, the KP Government would establish 107 livestock and dairy farms in settled districts where livestock growers would be provided cows of quality breeds on 50:50 cost sharing basis.
\nHe said 50pc fund would be provided by the Government and fifty percent by the beneficiary.
\nThe trickled down positive effects of the Fedeal and KP Government\u2019s joint venture livestock and poultry projects worth Rs3,214 million under the \u2018Prime Minister National Emergency Agriculture Program\u2019 worth over Rs309.7 billion to alleviate poverty, increase meat and milk production have started visible at the grassroots level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nThe three gigantic projects including \u2018Poverty Alleviation Through Development of Rural Poultry\u2019 amounting Rs834 million, Save the Calf worth Rs1,554 million and Feedlot Fattening Programme of Rs826 million launched in 2018-19 have started providing much-needed relief to price-hike stricken people, women, persons with disabilities and under-privileged segments of society.
\nThese projects are smoothly underway in Punjab, KP, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Islamabad where beneficiaries have started receiving substantial income from it including poultry program, said Dr Aftab Ahmad, Project Director PM\u2019s Poultry Program for KP while talking to APP.
\nKP had been given a target of distributing one million poultry birds in four years (2018-2022) among poor people. We have distributed over 700,000 poultry birds of quality breed including five hens and one cock on subsidized rate at Rs1050 per unit among poorer with priorities to widows, persons with disabilities and calamities affected families till August last, \u201c he said.
\nDr Aftab said the four years project was launched in 2018 with an estimated cost of Rs834 million including a substantial share of Rs643 million of the KP Government, Rs16 million of Federal Government and Rs175 million by beneficiaries.
\n\u201cPeople\u2019s interest is overwhelming. The department considers to extend the project after 2022 with a target to distribute additional one million poultry birds among underprivileged if Government provide funds for it,\u201d Dr Aftab said.
\nThe Government in order to fulfill meat demand of over 210 million population of Pakistan, has launched \u201cSave the Calf\u201d project across the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In KP, as many as 1,20,000 male buffalo calves would be fattened by 2022 where Rs 6,500 per calf are being provided to farmers and livestock growers after six month rearing besides 10 KG free milk replacers and life saving vaccines.
\nAbout 30,000 buffalo calves are being fattened per year in KP. Farmers are being encouraged to register calves aged 15 days to one month and rearing them for six months to avail Government\u2019s incentives package.
\nHe said a Veternary University was also being established to provide quality higher education to students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has started work on a mega project to establish 300 small and large livestock and dairy farms in merged tribal districts and 107 in settled districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to bolster milk and meat production in the province. Keeping in view of an availability of vast land in seven merged […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237174,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2644,1082,2645,2646],"class_list":{"0":"post-237160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-farms","9":"tag-kp-government","10":"tag-livestock","11":"tag-milk"},"yoast_head":"\n