The Federal Government plans to establish a Milk Processing Unit for provision of good quality milk for local tribal people in Bajuar Agency, for which Rs 200 million has been estimated, according to official sources. The sources said the project has been so far taken up with donor agencies, for seeking required financial assistance, to immediately materialise it, which would be benefited those people who are associated with livestock industry.
The project would also handy to earn valuable foreign exchange, besides bringing economic improvement in the lives of tribesmen, official said. He further said the work on the first phase of All Fata Dairy Farms Project 2012-13 is in progress under which 50 animals would be distributed among farmers at main cities and towns Khar, Inayat Kalli and Sadiqabad of Bajaur Agency.
Moreover, government would set up model outlets for distribution/sale of fresh and quality milk in the agency. Under the PM Agriculture Package, they said, proposals have been sent to the concerned authorities for establishment of quality dairy farms in South Waziristan, Khyber and Kurram Agencies, Frontier Regions of DI Khan and Tank.
Apart from it, the official said to combat animal diseases, the official sources said the government has already established Diagnostic Laboratories in Kuram and Bajaur Agencies where animals’ treatment and vaccination facilities are available. More Diagnostic Labs in Khyber and South Waziristan Agencies would also be established soon.
The sources further maintained that the government has also planned to set up a Modern Centre equipped with labs and doctors at Landi Kotal Khyber Agency to vaccinate and treat animals, adding animals would be kept for at least five to ten days in this Centre for vaccination and treatment in case detection of a disease before its selling, adding this would help increase prices of animals in local and international markets and help earn valuable foreign exchange for the country.
They are of the view that livestock is one of the few indigenous economic opportunities that have a real potential to improve in relatively short time the social and economic conditions of the area.
The officials, who are confident enough to say that Federal Government is also planning to establish Modern Slaughter-houses in all the seven agencies in Fata. The Federal Government has decided to launch ‘Calves Fattening Project” in Fata to fulfil the high demands of quality meat of people.
It is a pilot project of the Federal Government launched in Fata to fatten Calves to increase meat production. A registered farmer/livestock owner, having cows or buffalos calves (male) between 10 to 50 numbers would be provided free of cost technical support in formation of farmhouses besides medicines, insemination, vaccination and fodder services at their doorstep, they concluded.
