KARACHI, June 5: The Sindh livestock department will arrange bank financing for small livestock farmers to increase milk production and help generate more income for them.

Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui held a meeting with State Bank of Pakistan’s director of credit and discussed with him ways and means to provide financing to small farms in the interior of Sindh.

Talking to Dawn on Wednesday, he said that the State Bank had already announced a credit plan to extend loans through banks to livestock farms, but there has been very small lending on this account. The main problem is security of loans extended to small farmers, which has, so far, obstructed lending.

He said the main task to arrange lending for livestock farmers is identification of right persons and strict monitoring to ensure that financing is used for the purpose it has been obtained.

The department plans to engage independent organizations, like NGOs for selective financing in the beginning and extend the network later after the correct utilisation and repayment of loans.

He said that the main focus of the plan is to increase production of milk through organised dairy farms which could help stabilise milk prices.

There is also a plan to set up a few model livestock farms which are run on modern techniques of breeding and animal husbandry, thus increasing production of milk and meat.

The secretary also held a meeting with the officials of Insurance Corporation of Pakistan and discuss with them providing insurance coverage for animals of small farms.

He said that poor farmers cold not afford death of animals due to extreme hot weather, and the death of a few animals could result in the closure of the farm rendering poor farmers out of income.

The department has also hired services of Pakistan Dairy Development Company to seek its expertise in development of dairy farms in the interior of Sindh to increase production.

The secretary held a meeting with Geoff Walker, chief executive officer of the company on Wednesday and discussed with him plan to improve periodicity at the state owner Red Dindhi Bull Farm in Tando Mohammad Khan.

The huge farm set up on 2500 acres suffers from shortage of water and fodder.

At present the number of animals at the farm is 268. The department has sought services of exerts from New Zealand to introduce modern breeding techniques to increase the number of animals and consequently more milk and meat production.

The department has also plans to use the farm as a training centre for small livestock farmers to teach them modern techniques of breeding and care for the animals.

Meanwhile, a senior leader of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Haroon Farooki, who has a farm on Super Highway has commended the efforts of Pakistan Dairy Development Company for model farm programme.

In a letter to the company, Mr Farooki said that by changing the pattern of nutrition and increase in green fodder, the farm has been able to increase its milk production.

Apart from this, we are saving Rs3,000 to Rs4000 per day towards the cost of feed which is almost Rs100,000 per month, marking a revolutionary change in the farm economics.