Punjab's Livestock Golden Era: 400,000 Animals Prepared in One Year

Punjab raised 400,000 cattle in one year, giving rural farmers billions in profit under the Livestock Card scheme.
Each farmer earns Rs 27,000 profit per animal through the Livestock Card.
Animal exports from Punjab rose 43% with 129,581 animals exported under the scheme.
8 FMD compartments notified in Punjab and 7 more will be established this year.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Punjab is witnessing a golden era in the livestock sector. She said the provincial government raised 400,000 cattle in one year and livestock farmers earned billions of rupees in profit.

According to details, farmers receive Rs 27,000 profit per animal through the Livestock Card. The scheme has transformed the lives of rural farming families across the province.

8 FMD compartments have been notified in Punjab while 7 more FMD compartments will be established this year. The establishment of FMD compartments is paving the way for animal exports from Punjab to China, Europe and America.

Animal exports from Punjab increased 43% as 129,581 animals were exported under the Livestock Card. The government plans to establish 5 meat processing plants, 5 modern slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in the province.

Meat packing houses, commercial scale feedlots and corporate feedlots will also be established. The Punjab government will provide Rs 19 billion in financing subsidy for livestock integrated value enhancement.

Private investment of Rs 65 billion is expected for the meat value chain. For the first time in Punjab, an FMD vaccine production unit will be established under public-private partnership with Rs 28 billion in private investment.

20,000 animals were exported from Lahore, 24,297 from Bahawalpur, 12,529 from Faisalabad, 21,000 from Gujranwala and Gujrat, 27,000 from Multan, 22,000 from Sargodha and 2,661 from Sahiwal.

Under the Livestock Connect System, direct contact has been established with 1,725 fattening farms, 20 export abattoirs, 88 meat exporters and 34 meat traders.

The number of rural women farmers in Punjab rose from 90 to 1,107 after the launch of the Livestock Card. Maryam Nawaz said the goal is to connect Punjab’s livestock farmers with national exporters and international websites.

She said the target is to make Punjab a livestock hub in the region.