Dairy farming offers 25% return

Investment sought for production and processing of milk.

KARACHI:

Dairy farming offers a lucrative opportunity for investment to corporate and trading companies as the sector can provide a return of more than 25 per cent, an official of Pakistan Dairy Development Company (PDDC) said.

Talking to The Express Tribune during a visit to a model dairy farm, PDDC Sindh Chapter chief Dr Aziz Ahmed said with significant investment, the dairy farming industry can be developed to such an extent that it could compete effectively with major exporters – Australia, New Zealand and Holland – in the international market.

However, he said investors and industrialists were not aware of the potential of dairy farming and its significance in national economy, providing an opportunity to few companies which had established their monopoly in the business, including milk processing.

If the government provided funds to PDDC for keeping milk-producing animals and milk processing, the company would be able to identify potential industrialists who would be able to process and pack milk according to international health standards and sell at attractive prices, he said.

According to Ahmed, around 800,000 milk-producing animals are being taken care of in Karachi and in its outskirts, but due to lack of knowledge the dairy farmers are getting milk through traditional and outdated methods, which gave a lower output.

“Owing to lack of awareness, the farmers are wasting a significant part of their profits as well.”

He said Pakistan Dairy Development Company, which was a non-profit organisation, had been providing financial and technical assistance to dairy farmers, but its operations had come to a halt because of non-release of funds by the government for the last one year.

To a question, Ahmed said a large number of farmers were using a certain type of injection to get milk from animals on a continuous basis, adding this had affected the total output of milk. In addition to this, animals are given water for two times a day, which has kept milk production per animal below five litres a day. However, in Australia, New Zealand and the US, average milk production per animal is 20 to 25 litres a day.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2011.