Govt cattle farms to run under public-private partnership

The Sindh government has decided to transfer the government cattle farm and its land to private farmers under a public-private partnership (PPP) programme. This initiative aims to promote the breeding of local livestock breeds. Provincial Minister for Development and Planning Syed Nasir Hussain Shah announced during his speech at the closing ceremony of the Sindh Livestock Expo held at the Expo Centre on Sunday.

Provincial minister emphasised the importance of preserving local cattle breeds, highlighting that the Red Sindhi cow has been an integral part of heritage for 6,000 years. He noted, it is private breeders who have played a crucial role in saving this breed, as well as other local breeds, rather than government farms.

The minister suggested that the key to preserving these breeds lies in public-private partnerships, where government farms are handed over to private breeders. The minister highlighted the significant shift in Pakistan's economy since its formation in 1947, noting that the country was initially 65% dependent on crops and 35% dependent on livestock, but today the situation has reversed.