Govt to increase livestock productivity, assures Tareen
By tariq chaudhry

ISLAMABAD—Federal Minister for Industries Production and Special Initiatives Jahangir Khan Tareen has said that government is making all-out efforts to increase livestock productivity by focusing on this very important sector.
"Under the Prime Minister's Livestock Initiative the government plans to increase the milk and meat production to the tune of 12 million litres and 0.2 million tons respectively annually," he stated this in a meeting with representatives of Rural Support Programmes.
The Livestock Initiative is based on Public-Private Partnership. Government of Pakistan joins hands with eight rural support programmes to launch this initiative. The Livestock Initiatives which spans 5 years will be on the ground by January 2006, informed the Minister.The project plans to parachute 290 livestock specialists deployed in the same number of clinics in the midst of 13 million poor rural households. Poor and backward areas such as Balochistan and Tharparkar will be especially targeted and will benefit the most, said Mr. Tareen.
An estimated 7,250 community based workers will be trained and they will provide services in the domain of curative and preventive medicines, vaccinations, advice for fattening of animals, increasing milk production, etc. told the Minister.
Later on in his meeting with a delegation of Strategy Working Group (SWOG) on Marble and Granite Sector here, the Federal Minister said marble and granite sector has great potential for development. Government will extend all kind of help for the development of this industry and the banks will be asked to extend credit to the entrepreneurs associated with Marble and Granite Industry. The SWOG in its presentation told the Minister that it plans to develop Model Queries which will reduce average waste from 73% in 2005 to 55% in 2010, average price will increase from current 2000 to 4000 in 2010. With the help of Model Queries production per unit will increase from 60 sq ft per ton to 130 sq ft per ton in 2010.Tareen asked the SWOG to focus on FATA, NWFP and Balochistan because these areas are rich in mineral resources and are also backward.