Government should Develop Supportive Policies for the Dairy Sector

Pakistan ranks as the fourth-highest milk producing nation in the world as dairy farming is one of the biggest industries in Pakistan with an estimated 42 million tonnes of milk production per year, having 11.30 percent share in the gross domestic products.

The country has approximately 63 million animals producing milk, and over eight million households involved in the trade. As such, the industry is providing employment to millions of Pakistanis but remains far below in exports of dairy products.

The government should develop supportive policies for the dairy sector which has the potential to lead the process of our economic revival. These views were expressed by Shakir Umar Gujjar President Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association while speaking the general body elections and oath taking ceremony for officials attended by a large number of representatives of the dairy and livestock companies belonging to dairy and cattle farmers sector.

"Dairy farmers have been selling fresh unpasteurized milk to wholesalers at the low price while input costs including feed expenses and prices of new animals have multiplied, but we fail to understand why the government is bent upon controlling the prices of fresh unpasteurized milk only".

It has no control over the prices of other commodities especially packaged milk.

Increase in the price of milk would help overcome shortage in milk production as it would encourage dairy farmers to invest in the business. Otherwise, he feared, dairy industry would completely collapse.

He pointed out that Bhains Colony in Karachi set up in 1960s and now houses between 350,000 and 400,000 animals has no proper road infrastructure and drainage system. Most animal waste end up the sea untreated. We believe that working together with the private sector, the government can play an important role in enabling the dairy industry to reach its maximum potential, said Shakir Umar Gujjar.

Rafiq Khan and Rafiq Khan has pointed out problems faced by the dairy and cattle farmers and suggested solutions for the core issues.

Pakistan dairy and livestock expo' will be held on February 10-12, 2018 in which large numbers of national and international stake holders are expected to participate.

They said with the right support, the situation can be reversed, making Pakistan an exporter of milk and dairy products, and a major player in the global dairy industry.

Our aim should be to economise milk production so that the poor farmers are benefited and to check milk adulteration so that public health is safeguarded.

Umar Ghauri Chairman The Consumer Eye Pakistan said that, milk is one of the least commercialised products as more than 95 percent of the produce is consumed unprocessed through informal marketing chains, no quality checks, no standardisation and no value addition.

Being highly perishable product with only four hours' shelf life at room temperature, non entry of milk in the formal processing channel causes inexcusable 20 percent wastage of produce.

He said the cure to the enervation of the dairy sector lies in a comprehensive remedy not only price palliatives but to increased productivity through development of high yielding breeds and reduction in wastage through improved produce management along the value chain.

The trend in farm-gate milk prices shows that dairy imports are not driving down the farm gate milk prices but merely bridging the supply demand gap, he added.

Source: Daily Times Pakistan