Challenges and opportunities of dairy farming in Pakistan
Immersion at the heart of a global dairy giant
Kenan Kocer, Export Sales Manager
Off to Pakistan! This large country in southern Asia is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan and Iran to the west, and China to the north. To the south, it opens onto the Arabian Sea.
With over 240 million inhabitants, Pakistan is the country with the fifth largest population in the world.
The country's economy is highly diversified, with key sectors including agriculture, textiles (cotton, wool and silk fabrics, as well as ready-made clothing) and services (banking, finance, tourism and information technology).
Agriculture in Pakistan
Agriculture is a mainstay of the Pakistani economy, providing a vital driving force by employing almost 40% of the working population.
In this context, the country's dairy industry stands out for its impressive position on the world stage: Pakistan is the fifth largest milk producer, with an annual output of 65 million tonnes. And the icing on the cake? Pakistan has a dairy cow population estimated at between 25 and 30 million!
The main breeds include the local Bufflone, the Sahival (another local breed) and the famous Holstein.
What's even more fascinating is that half of all the milk production comes from small family farms with between 5 and 10 cows, and further 35% from medium-sized farms with between 10 and 100 cows.
As for the large commercial farms, although they only account for 10-15% of production, they have seen significant growth in recent years, with numbers reaching between 1,000 and 6,000 cows.
The sector faces strict import regulations. When selecting bulls for export, we have to face up to this major challenge by complying with the following criteria:
- Beta-casein A2A2
- ISET above 1,100
- Tested bulls
- Positive milk contents
- Average lactation of daughters: over 8,500 kg
- Average milk content of daughters: +3.5% fat and 3.0% protein
- Improving indexes for feet and legs as well as udders (over 100)
Collaboration with Swissgenetics
Swissgenetics has been collaborating with Agristock Solutions in Pakistan for more than two and a half years, exporting around 100,000 Holstein doses during this period.
Farms were visited in the area around Lahore (Punjab province), where there are some impressive farms, all specialising in breeding Holstein cows. The majority of these farms were started up by importing heifers from the United States and Australia.
Another dairy farm at the east of the country, near Lahore.
Dr Mukhtar, responsible veterinarian Agristock Solutions, Mr Georg Steiner, ambassador of Switzerland in Pakistan and Kenan Kocer, Export Sales Manager Swissgenetics
Presentation of Swissgenetics' genetics programme
Nayyab Dairy Farm and its herd of 600 cows
The hours of milking (three times a day), in two groups of 60 animals at a time, on this dairy farm counting 6,000 cows.
Another dairy farm at the east of the country, near Lahore.
Dr Mukhtar, responsible veterinarian Agristock Solutions, Mr Georg Steiner, ambassador of Switzerland in Pakistan and Kenan Kocer, Export Sales Manager Swissgenetics
The herds range in size from 150 to 6,000 cows, with average yields varying between 8,000 and 11,000 kg per lactation.
The bovine semen market in Pakistan offers interesting prospects, with growth potential underpinned by increasing demand for quality semen for both milk production and fertility.
It was a very positive and rewarding visit, enabling us to promote our genetics in the country's largest dairy province as well as to take an initial step towards diversifying Swissgenetics' offering in Pakistan.
We would like to thank our partner Agristock, the local breeders and all those involved in helping us to discover more about the farms across the country and in organising this visit.