PESHAWAR - In order to provide quality milk to tribesmen, the federal government is going to set up Milk a processing unit in Bajaur Agency.
Official sources said that establishment of the proposed milk processing unit would cost Rs 200 million. In this regard, the government is in talks with donors for financial assistant.
This project if materialized would benefit people associated with livestock industry to earn valuable foreign exchange, besides bringing economic improvement in the lives of tribesmen, an official said adding that work on the first phase of All Fata Dairy Farms Project 2012-13 was in progress under which 50 animals would be distributed among farmers at main cities and towns Khar, Inayat Kalli and Sadiqabad of Bajaur Agency.
Moreover, the government would set up model outlets for distribution/sale of fresh and quality milk in the agency. Under the PM Agriculture Package, they said, proposals have been sent to the concerned authorities for establishment of quality dairy farms in South Waziristan, Khyber and Kurram Agencies, Frontier Regions of DI Khan and Tank.
Apart from that the official said to combat animal diseases, the government has already established Diagnostic Laboratories in Kurram and Bajaur Agencies where animals treatment and vaccination facilities are available. The government has also planned to set up a Modern Centre equipped with labs and doctors at Landi Kotal Khyber Agency to vaccinate and treat animals, adding animals would be kept for at least five to ten days in this Centre for vaccination and treatment in case detection of a disease before its selling, adding this would help increase prices of animals in local and international markets and help earn valuable foreign exchange for the country.
They were of the view that livestock is one of the few indigenous economic opportunities that have a real potential to improve in relatively short time the social and economic conditions of the area.
It is a pilot project of the Federal Government launched in Fata to fatten Calves to increase meat production.