Prof Dr Subhan Qureshi, Dean Vet Scienecs Agri Uni Peshawar and Zafar Paracha with Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC Islamabad. Chairman HEC appreciated the efforts of Universities for promoting Resarch & Innovation through linkages between Academia and Industries. Dairy Science Park was accepted as Center of Excellence of UAP and funds were allocated. However, Prof Zahoor Swati VC was reluctant to support the initiative.
The Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science has worked in this direction through several programs. Broilers and quails production has been in practicefor meeting the requirements of consumers at the Greater University Campus. Dairy Technology Center and Feed Mill have been run on sustainable basis for boosting the dairy enterprises in the accessible areas. The Dairy Herd Improvement Program of the Veterinary Clinics has linked private dairy farmers with the faculty.
University Feed Mill of Animal Nutrition Department has been run under a lease arrangement with a private partner, Mr Zafar Paracha. It has provided a gateway to the University System for applied research and an effective outreach setup for the mediums sized commercial livestock farmers. The Faculty members and postgraduate students have been utilizing these facilities for applied research and getting feedback from the farmers utilizing these products. Alternate feed resources are being explored and new technologies developed for enhancing feed utilization by the livestock and poultry species. Feasibility models are being developed forentrepreneurship in meat production.
Business Forum of Dairy Science Park has been planning for meat export from Pakistan to the Muslim markets in various countries of the world; Mr Badar banking expert, Mr Ali Khan exporter; M Subhan Qureshi, Arshad Hussain Hashmi Director Business Incubation Cetner UVAS Lahore and Col Ashraf, Naaksons pvt Ltd Lahore, Pakistan.
Meat Shop, Jan Shopping Arcade, Peshawar Cantt has been established by Mr Habib Jan as model shop in Peshawar City. His facility was raided by the District Administration with the allegation that he is selling meat at higher prices. The DSP team visited his facility and inspected the quality of animals, slaughtering, processing, packaging and storage facilities. Jan Arcade had maintained quality of meat at their setup through procurement of the best and healthy animals of appropriate age, slaughtered and processed under hygienic and Islamic principles. The meat is graded as per accepted standards. Sufficient investment has been made in maintaining pathogens free environment and chilled storage. The Shop has gained consumers’ confidence, attracting elite and quality conscious families across the City.
Dairy Science Park has been providing technical Support to the Jan Arcade and ensure quality and Halal standards at their Meat Shop. The Minister Local Government has appreciated their meat quality during a presentation made by the Dairy Science Park and recommended its exemption from the general meat rates.
Farmers’ Sausage Company, Industrial Estate, Hayatabad, headed by Mrs Javed, requested the DSP for inspection after they were fined and banned by the District Administration from functioning. The facility has been working since 2003 with family investment; getting not interest-based loans from the financial institutions. High quality equipment were purchased for the factory and quality control system was introduced. The products prepared at the factory were Baked Meatloafs, Mortadella, Smoked veal, Hunter sausages, Beef salami, Smoked chicken, Chiken pie, Chicken Sausages, Frankfurters, Pepperoni and Paprika. The inspection team were shown facilities by Mr Bahram Khan, comprising premises for handling the incoming meat after arrival, cold room, weighing scale, mincing assembly, mixing and crushing machine, smoking chamber and boiling pots. The experts examined the quality of the facilities, discussed the deficiencies and advised theCompany executives on improvement of the same. The Company’s executives were educated upon importance of hygienic practices and protocols in line with the national and international standards.
A silage production facility was established by Khanzada Ahmed Kamal at Mardan. USAID Agribusiness Support Program provided him training and the equipment on subsidized rates. This facility has started producing silage on preliminary pilot basis. Maize fodder is being used as the crop for production of silage. ILRI has been sponsoring Mr Nadir Khan, PhD Scholar Animal Nutrition to work on silage production using various maize varieties under local conditions. Romer Lab Rawalpindi has provided inoculums for the experiment. Mr Kamal and another registered farmer in Peshawar have agreed to provide land for the experiment.
Royal Dairies has been established by Mr Kamran Khan, an Animal Husbandry Graduate and General Secretary of Dairy Science Park. Mr Khan has initiated hisprofessional career by establishing a dairy farm; than shifted to milk marketing business where the sellers are compelled by the District Administration to sell milk at subsidized rates, ignoring grading milk on basis of quality. So Mr Khan has to quit the milk marketing venture. Then he established a quails breeding and fancy birds production entrepreneur at Badaber; a suburb of Peshawar City. Facing certain technical problems there, especially quails management during severe winter, and the electricity power failure in the country, Mr Khan established a dairy processing unit in the name of Royal Dairies. He has launched yoghurt and butter and got his products linked with the local superstores in Peshawar City. He has been linked with the Dairy Science Park in policy development, students entrepreneurship and interaction with the Corporate Partners.
DSP Innovations has been established as a registered firm with the Ministry of Industries, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to bring innovations in the existing farming system in the private sector. Silage was purchased from Punjab and introduced at the dairy and calf fattening facilities in Peshawar City. Meat Park was established at Peshawar and silage was introduced at the fattening farm owned by another partner of Meat Park which replaced the wheat straw, reduced production cost and improved the growth rate and health of calves. However, the partnership could not continue due to delayed/non-payment to the two investing partners in feed and silage.
Peshawar Meat was established as a meat processing and packaging factory with labelled quality, traceability and shelf-life parameters. The facility was introduced as an entrepreneurship model and graduates were provided an opportunity to get access to practical learning. However, lack of availability of quality animals at appropriate age, competition of culled buffaloes with the prime meat produced by the factory and unfriendly attitude of the superstores managers forced DSPI to close the operation.
DSP Clinic and Marketing Center Chamkani was established to support the calf fattening facility, at GT Road, Peshawar. It was run by a part-time veterinary consultant DSP, Dr Muhammadullah who visited this and other farms in the premises and provided therapeutic and advisory services. DSP Innovations envisions, especially introduction of elite dairy and beef semen produced at CEBG facilities, into the local commercial farms. Good practices were introduced at the local farms, especially improved hygienic status through availability of plenty of clean water using solar water pumps and bio-waste management.
Unemployed veterinary graduates, about 1000 at provincial level, are being supported in career development by the Dairy Science Park. Small and Medium Enterprise Development is providing support to these young graduates in entrepreneurship development. Financial aid agency, especially Meezan Bank and Apna Bank have agreed to facilitate entrepreneurs through Islamic Financing Packages. Medicine and Feed companies working in the province and corporate livestock and poultry farms in the province and commercial and government firms in the Middle East are facilitating these young graduates in getting jobs.
