Peshawar Meat, Dairy Science Park Innovations - Pakistan

Dairy Science Park Innovations (DSPI) has been launched as a private firm, registered with the Registrar of Firms, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar, vide number 1324/9/30055 dated 26-1-2016. Engr Irfan ul Haq Qureshi has been running the firm as Chief Executive Officer.

DSPI has been engaged in bringing innovations into the livestock and poultry farming, processing and marketing through introduction of quality standards, improved practices, automation and linkages with the service providers and marketing networks as envisioned under the Dairy Science Park.

The corporate partners of Dairy Science Park, Mr Hafeez ur Rahman and Mr Kamran Khan introduced calf fattening at Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both of these farmers have been in dairy farming since last two decades and  

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active partners of Sarhad Dairy Farmers Association and Dairy Science Park. Initially both of the farmers practiced dairy farming, however, the higher cost of inputs and a control price for the milk sold, is putting a tremendous financial pressure on the producers and reluctantly they quit the dairy production business.

The two farmers utilized their dairying experience, participated in scientific cum business dialogue of the Dairy Science Park, surveyed marketing status of the inputs and sale of the finished products and planned their fattening activities as separate models. One farm fed the animals with energy-protein rich concentrates (probably resulting in overfeeding of the nutrients), expensive medication and veterinary coverage provided by the feed company. The other farm provided simple wheat straw and a little green fodder, keeping the cost at the minimum, with almost zero medication and veterinary coverage. Astonishingly both of them resulted in similar growth rates and and each calf saved about Rs.8000 per calf within a period of three months. This provides an excellent model for entrepreneurship for the youth.

Small and large ruminants are required for slaughtering on the eve of Eid Al Adha in the Muslim community as a memorial of Hazrat Ibraheem, the father of prophets. The demand for such animals is increased on this occasion and the prices also go up. The Dairy Science Park realized the importance of this issue and opted for initiating model initiatives for calf fattening, to be sold on the eve of Eid Al Adha, 2016 falling during September.

Beyond such occasions, such type of calf fattening programs are facing marketing challenge, as these animals providing prime beef, have to compete with the beef coming from slaughtering the aged, sick and culled buffaloes and cows after completing their lactation. The district administration notifies flat prices, e.g. Rs.270 per kg beef, irrespective of the quality of animals, beef or preservation modes. Such a price capping discourages the young entrepreneurs producing quality beef at higher rates; and selling at higher prices.

DSP Slaughtering Point has been established in the suburbs of Peshawar as an entrepreneurship model. Quality standards have been introduced and the facility is providing meat to Pakistan Air Force. The same facility will be used for slaughtering sheep and goats and specially reared buffaloes/cattle calves for meat production.

A meat processing factory is being established at Industrial Estate Hayatabad, Peshawar to process and pack meat from sheep, goats cattle and poultry of local breeds reared in the pastures of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. This will help in raising the income of the producers and provide safe food to the consumers, accommodating concerns of the biorisk management. This facility is being established as an entrepreneurship model to be replicated as a self employment tool for the youth and hygienic food production for the people of the region.