Livestock resources of pakistan: Present status and future trends. Quarterly Science Vision 9

ABSTRACT breeds have been described. The important goat breeds include Beetal, Dera Din Panah and Teddy in Punjab, Barbari and Kamori in Sindh, Kaghani and Jatal in N.W.F.P. and Khurassani, Lehri and Pahari in Balochistan. Twentyone breeds of running, baggage and dairy camels have been described. 392%, cattle 219%, sheep 299%, and goats 650% in the last 45 years (1955-2000). Livestock-production Analysis of livestock population trends show that buffalo population increased Important areas of research and development in animal genetic resources are; development of low-cost performance-recording system, evaluation and strengthening of on-going progeny-testing programmes, starting of progeny-testing programmes for important breeds, phenotypic characterization of breeds to identify specific traits of economic importance, development of beef breed, genetic characterization of different breeds of livestock and development of molecular markers for economic traits. INTRODUCTION Livestock are natural factories to convert roughage (grasses, shrubs, etc) into quality-food i.e. milk and meat. It is an established nutritional fact that animal proteins are superior to vegetable proteins for the supply of essential amino acids. Livestock also provide raw material for industries and create markets and capital. For a large population of rural household in rain-fed agricultural production system, livestock provide security against crop-failure. For the poor in the villages, it is a form of social security, cashing it at the time of need. Livestock are also used in sports and entertainment and are also considered a symbol of prestige in certain areas of Pakistan. Livestock is an important sub-sector of agriculture and accounts for 37.5 percent of agricultural value-addition and about 9.4% of the Pakistan GDP. Its net foreign exchange earnings were approximately 53 billion rupees in 2000-2001, which is almost 12.3% of all the export earnings of the country [Government of LIVESTOCK BREEDS AND THEIR PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS Pakistan is endowed with rich livestock genetic resources. Pakistani buffaloes are riverine type and mainly belong to two breeds i.e. Nili-Ravi and Kundi. Production characteristics of Pakistani buffaloes are given in There are ten distinct breeds of cattle found in Pakistan TRENDS OF LIVESTOCK POPULATION Population of all major species of livestock (cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats) has been constantly increasing over the years. However, growth-rate is different for various species. Growth-rate of buffalo is higher than that of cattle ( Livestock Resources of Pakistan: Present Status and Future Trends In small ruminants, the growth-rate is much higher in goats than sheep. At the time of first livestock-census in 1955, the numbers of sheep were higher than goats. However, now the situation is absolutely different; goats outnumber sheep and are even more than twice the number of sheep in Pakistan. Goat's meat is preferred by customers in Pakistan and is usually sold at a higher price in most parts of the country. Camel population has shown a static or decreasing trend over the years. Development in areas of camelproduction is resulting in better road-access and mechanical transport, thus the utility of camels as means of transport of men and baggage is decreasing. Furthermore, camel-milk is not cherished in Pakistan and there is practically very little market for camel's milk and meat. HERD-STRUCTURE IN LIVESTOCK Majority of national livestock-herd is distributed in small units throughout the Pakistan [Agricultural Census Organization, 1998]. Small holders keep a major share of population in large ruminants, and 60% buffaloes and 55.5% cattle are raised by farmers with less than 6 animals per family ( The trend of keeping small ruminants is different from large ruminants and the distribution of herd-sizes for goats and sheep vary significantly. Small holders (<30 animals/household) raise only 35.5% sheep, but make a lion's share of goat-raising i.e. 66.2% ANIMAL-PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN PAKISTAN Except for nomadic sheep, goats and camels, and peri-urban dairying, production of livestock is closely integrated with crop-production. Most farms are fully integrated mixed units, with cattle, buffaloes and sometimes sheep or goats or both. Traditionally, cattle were kept as draft animals, with milk as a by-product and buffaloes as milking animals. With the mechanization of agriculture, however, cross-bred cattle VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 are replacing the low-producing breeds. Dairy Production There are four main types of system [FAO, 1987; Afzal,1998] for the production of milk from cows and buffaloes in Pakistan: • Rural subsistence smallholdings, producing milk for the family at minimal cost. The average subsistence-unit consists of three buffaloes, including one or two adults. Grazing provides more than half of the feed-requirement. Some green fodder and straw is provided and a small quantity of concentrate is given to milking cows. This traditional system makes heavy demands on family labour. • Rural, market-oriented smallholdings, with satisfactory access to milk-markets, producing milk in excess of family-requirements for sale. These farmers usually keep better-quality animals. A typical unit consists of fewer than six buffaloes and cattle, with two or three in milk. Milking animals are generally stall-fed with seasonal green fodder, straw and concentrate while dry cows and herd followers are grazed. There is usually no adult bull in the herd. Calves are retained during lactation, and then the males are disposed of while females are kept as replacements. This system is the main source of milk in Pakistan. • Rural commercial farms, with more than 40 animals, 90% buffaloes and 10% cattle, on mixed crop-livestock farms or specialized farms for breeding and milk production. Fodder crops are grown and straw may be home-grown or purchased. Concentrates are fed and dry females and heifers are, if possible, grazed. There is usually a bull for natural mating and the government artificial insemination service is also used. These farms are well organized and kept good records, but their contribution to the total milk supply is small. • Peri-urban commercial dairy farms, around all big cities, the largest being at the Landhi Cattle Colony, Karachi, where more than 250,000 milking animals are kept. Most herds in this sector have 15 to 50 animals and more than 90% are buffaloes, mostly adult lactating females. Turnover is very high. Animals close to calving or in calf are purchased, the calf is allowed to suckle for a few days and is then sold, generally for slaughter. Dry females are either sold for slaughter or returned to the rural areas for breeding. Most cows are not mated, as pregnancy reduces milk-yield. Green fodder is purchased, but feed consists mainly of concentrate and straw. Since this is a high-cost system, only high-potential animals are kept. In the cities, families sometimes keep one or two animals and sell the surplus milk, usually to neighbours. Sheep and Goats The vast majority of small ruminant-flock owners are small-scale farmers, sometimes landless. Mixed flocks are common, although separate flocks of sheep or goats can also be seen. The production-systems • Nomadic, found mostly in parts of Sindh and Baluchistan. These flocks, with more than 100 animals, move constantly throughout the year in search of grazing. Most of the lambs and kids are born between January and April, when flocks are at lower elevations. Females are retained for flockreplacement or enlargement, but males are sold before they are one year old. Grazing is mainly free, but in some areas grazing or fodder may have to be purchased. Sheep are mostly shorn twice. There is some milking, to provide for familyconsumption and for sale in the local market. • Transhumant, where flock-owners have a fixed base, but move with their families to another grazing-area for a major part of the year. This system is prevalent in tribal areas in parts of the North West Frontier Province, in parts of Sindh and Baluchistan and throughout the Northern Areas. Average flock-size is about 100 animals. Grazing is mainly on rangeland or crop residues, and sometimes areas have to be rented. The flockowners have easy access to the market and sell the male progeny, often at low weight. Sheep are shorn two or three times each year. There is some milking for family consumption or for the sale of milk or milk products. • Sedentary -household, where flocks remain in the same locality throughout the year and are taken out to graze during the day and brought back in the evening. Flocks are small, usually M. Afzal and A.N. Naqvi 6 Quarterly SCIENCE VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 between 20 and 40 animals, and graze on stubble, roadsides, canal banks, waterlogged areas, rangeland and weeds. Women frequently keep a few animals, mostly goats, near the house and feed them on household scraps, weeds and nearby grazing. Livestock Resources of Pakistan: Present Status and Future Trends • Before the feast of Eid-ul-Azha, at the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, some entrepreneurs purchase 50-100 male sheep and goats, which they fatten and sell at a high price. Camel Production • Camels are generally raised for draught-purpose, with milk, meat and hair as secondary products. Camel-production systems can generally be classified [Jasra and Isani, 2000] as: • Nomadic, found mainly in mountainous areas of Balochistan and, to a greater extent, in sandy deserts. Nomadic herds are diversified and include other species of livestock, mostly sheep and goats. Lack of grazing-forage and shortage of water is the push-factor for roaming from place to place. Three to four nomad families keep their livestock together. Each nomad family have about 15 to 35 camels of various ages, with mostly (about 2/3) female in the herd. • Transhumant, move between specific locations and follow a fixed route for migration. They move seasonally, due to shortage of fodder and forage. Within transhumant communities, camels are mostly owned by small farmers, peasants and landless labourers or pastoralists. Transhumant herds are mixed, with camel numbers ranging from 1 to 5, with small ruminants. This productionsystem is mainly seen in Cholistan and parts of Balochistan. • Sedentary, seen mainly in irrigated plains and South Western mountains of Balochistan. Camels are rarely moved away from their base area. Camels are generally reared by small farmers, peasants or landless pastoralists. These animals are supplemented with cheap stall-feeding. Herd size is generally small. GENETIC IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES A limited number of genetic-improvement programmes in livestock have been undertaken by the government. This has primarily been due to long incubation period of the selective breeding and government's desire to sponsor projects that yield quick and visible results. Livestock-breeders themselves have tried to improve the breeds of their interest. In the absence of production-records kept at the farms, the breeders mainly selected animals on the physical breed characteristics, like colour of eyes, coat colour, tail length and shape of horns, etc. Major governmentsponsored genetic improvement programmes are given below: I.. Supply of Bulls: Pedigreed or selected bulls from elite mothers were supplied to the interested farmers in certain localities by the government. These bulls or bull calves were either selected from the government livestock-farms or purchased from some progressive farmers. At places, these bulls were also kept in the veterinary hospitals for free breeding-services to the interested farmers. Similarly, bulls were also maintained in some of the villages through Lumbardari schemes. In these schemes, the Lumbardar (village head) was granted some land for the maintenance of bull for the purpose of breeding village buffaloes and cattle. These programmes have been discontinued. II. Land-Grant Schemes: In pre-partition India, the British government granted large pieces of land on long lease as "Land Grants" to the farmers for conservation and propagation of livestock-breeds. The significant example is the establishment of Bahadurnagar Farm, by leasing 3049 acres of land in 1916 to a private farmer to maintain 400 cattle of Hissar breed that was replaced with Nili and Ravi buffaloes in 1936. These schemes have also been discontinued. III. Herd-Book Schemes: Government started herdbook scheme for Sahiwal cattle and Nili-Ravi buffaloes in their home tract, to encourage keeping of proper animal production records. The scheme was run under the supervision of government livestock-department and the participating farmers were given land and veterinary aid, as incentives. The most important example is the Shergarh HerdBook Scheme in Sahiwal district. IV. Provision of Artificial Insemination Services: Artificial insemination was started in Pakistan in late 50s. However, the pace has been slow and, still, only 5% of breedable buffaloes and 7% of breedable cattle are bred through artificial insemination. Currently, there are 189 A.I. Centres M. Afzal and A.N. Naqvi 8 Quarterly SCIENCE VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 Livestock Resources of Pakistan: Present Status and Future Trends VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 and 7 Semen-Production Units in the country. Semen of buffaloes (both Nili-Ravia and Kundi) and cattle (Sahiwal and Red Sindhi) is produced locally at four Semen-Production Centres. In addition to these, semen from Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle is produced locally, as well as imported from other countries. Bull-selection for A.I. (Artificial Insemination) has been a major problem. Bulls were initially purchased from farmers having better producing animals or from government livestock-farms. However, in 1980 a progeny-testing programme was launched for Nili-Ravi buffaloes, which was later expanded to include Sahiwal cattle. With occasional break, this programme is still continued and now candidate bulls for these two breeds (Nili-Ravi buffaloes and Sahiwal cattle) are picked from 10-15% topmost elite females, being maintained at government farms or with registered farmers. There is, however, a limited number of these bulls and the rest are still selected on available limited pedigree record. V. Progeny-Testing Programme: A progeny-testing programme for Nili-Ravi buffalo-bulls was started in 1978. 10 Quarterly SCIENCE VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 Livestock Resources of Pakistan: Present Status and Future Trends VISION Vol.9 No.1-2 (Jul -Dec, 2003) & 3-4 (Jan -Jun, 2004 local environmental and managemental conditions, usually lost their high production. A limited number of small Friesian and Jersey cattle-herds are still being maintained by the public sector. Males are usually sold to interested farmers for crossbreeding of local non-descript cattle. Awassi and Rambouillet sheep and Angora goats have also been imported in the country. Angora goat have been raised as pure-bred animals for mohair production. Both Awassi and Rambouillet sheep have been used in crossbreeding to increase mutton and wool production of local sheep. Crossbreeding in sheep has focussed on Rambouillet x Kaghani for improved wool and mutton production, and on Awassi x Lohi and other breeds for improved mutton production. Rambouillet x Kaghani crosses have better woolyield and live-weight and the quality of wool is also significantly improved. These crossbreds are now a common sight in Swat, the home tract of Kaghani. CHANGING PATTERN OF MILK AND MEAT PRODUCTION Traditionally, large ruminants (buffaloes and cattle) have been raised in Pakistan for milk and draught, and small ruminants (sheep and goats) for meat production. There is now a changing pattern of milk-production from subsistence to commercial production. Market-access for milk-sale and increasing demand of the milk are the main factors pushing this change. Market-oriented rural milk-production and peri-urban dairying are becoming more important for supply of milk to the urban centers. Peri-urban dairying is particularly a high input

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