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ISLAMABAD, Oct 5 (APP): Pakistan is ready to offer
expertise to Malaysia for joint research and development in buffalo industry for
a mutually beneficial cooperation. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Lt Gen (retd)
Tahir Mahmud Qazi said in a meeting with Dato Dr Abd Aziz bin Jamaluddin,
Director General Veterinary Services of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
The High Commissioner said Pakistan can offer export of
live Neeli Ravi buffaloes and will also welcome further collaboration in
conducting feasibilities studies, providing services of veterinary doctors and
experiences of management practices of buffalo breeding.
He said the other services in buffalo industry include
artificial insemination, early calving, better breeding programme, milk
optimization and milk processing to assist Malaysia.
Malaysia on its part may provide research grants and test
facilities, besides considering to import experts and skilled labour from
Pakistan to assist Malaysia in these projects, he added.
The High Commissioner informed the Director General that as
per Economic Survey of Pakistan held in 2007-08, there are 31.8 million cattle
(mainly Sahiwal breed) and 29.0 million buffalo (mainly Neeli Ravi breed) which
are termed as one of the best breeds of the world.
He said Pakistan also supports four semen production units
capable of producing 2.05 million doses of semen annually besides an independent
Buffalo Research Institute involved in exclusive research on different
parameters of buffalo breeding in the country.
These facilities can be shared with Malaysia on mutually
agreed terms, he added.
Tahir Qazi also offered import of high quality buffalo meat
from Pakistan to Malaysia and sought Malaysia’s cooperation to speed up the
process of Halal, Health and Hygiene certification of Meat products imported
from Pakistan to Malaysia.
The Malaysian Director General welcomed the proposal said
his department will seriously consider these offers and may also send a
delegation to Pakistan to inspect these facilities and study the prospects of
cooperation in the buffalo industry.
He also informed the High Commissioner that Malaysia has
already launched a medium scale buffalo program in Kedah after successful
launching of a small buffalo breeding project in Langkawi. In addition, they
have already imported Murrah breed of buffaloes which they plan to distribute to
three stations for pilot breeding programme.
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