Ahmad et al. The Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 22(2 Suppl.

): 2012, Page:
J Anim Plant113-116
Sci, 22(Sup 2): 113-116
ISSN: 1018-7081

THE ROLE OF EXTENSION IN CHANGING THE DAIRY INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN: A

REVIEW
S. Ahmad, G. Hinch, J. Prior, P. Thomas* and D. Burrell**

School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia; *School of
Business Economics and Public Policy, Faculty of the Professions, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351
Australia; **Murray Goulburn Cooperative Co. Ltd, Victoria, 3282, Australia.
Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
Pakistan is primarily an agricultural based country, and livestock plays a pivotal role in its economy by providing
essential items of the human diet in the form of milk, meat and eggs. The population of the country is nearly180 million,
and 36 million in the rural areas depend directly on the livestock and dairy sectors. Pakistan has recently been ranked as
the world’s third largest milk producer, with the recent growth in per capita milk production being driven by an increase
in the number of dairy animals rather than by milk yield improvement. The current growth in population and increasing
demand for food has created the need to produce more milk. Pakistani dairy farmers need to be aware of the key drivers
of future change so that they can plan for increasing demand. This review is focused on the key factors influencing the
change in the dairy industry and the role of extension in the change process. The important factors influencing the dairy
sector from extension professionals point of view is capacity development through participatory principles. From dairy
farmers’ perspectives, shift from traditional practices towards improved sustainability and food security. Government
and NGOs need to invest in the sector and avoid duplication and infiltration of dairy programs across the country. The
potential for further utilization of new technologies for farmers with the assistance of dairy extension services is
highlighted.
Keywords: Dairy, extension methods, drivers of change, milk production, Pakistan, development.

INTRODUCTION this increase in milk production is due to an increase in

the total number of milk producing animals and is not due
Pakistan is primarily an agricultural based to increases in per animal productivity. Presently,
country and livestock plays a pivotal role in its economy, Pakistan is importing dry milk products valued at Rs. 1.1
providing essential items of the human diet in the form of billion (US$ 22 million), which is a burden on the
milk, meat and eggs. At present, livestock contributes country’s economy (Government of Pakistan, 2008-09).
about 51.8 per cent of agricultural value added and 11.3 The production per animal is low for several
per cent to the GDP (Government of Pakistan, 2008-09). reasons. Some of these include: low genetic potential of
The estimated total number of livestock in 2008-2009 cattle; delay in attaining puberty, scarcity of feed
was 154.3 million. Foreign earnings of the livestock resources, high disease incidence; a disorganized
sector exceed 35 billion rupees annually (US$ 707 marketing system, and the maintenance of traditional
million). Pakistan has a per capita production of milk farming practices (Bilal and Ahmad, 2004). When
around 230 kg per year, which is more than twice that of compared with major crops, milk has a greater value than
India and about 70 percent that of the United States of the combined value of wheat and cotton, and twice that of
America. The recent growth in per capita milk production sugarcane and rice combined (Bilal and Sajid, 2005).
has been driven by an increase in the number of dairy This review highlights the key factors influencing change
animals rather than by an increase milk yield per animal in the dairy industry and the role of extension in the
(FAO, 2001). change process.
Pakistan has been ranked as world’s third largest Key factors influencing change: The current population
milk producer (FAO, 2010); however the total milk growth of Pakistan and the increasing demand for food
produced in the country is not fulfilling domestic human has created the need to produce more milk. The human
needs. The most important reason for this shortfall is that population has exceeded 7 billion recently, which was
the human population and consumption per capita is predicted to reach 7.6 billion by 2020. Eighty five per
increasing (at the rate of 3% annually), but the milk cent of this increase will occur in developing countries
production is not increasing at the same pace (FAO, 2000). At the moment Pakistan is the world’s
(Government of Pakistan, 2008-09). Milk production has seventh most populous country, and according to UN
shown a steady increase over the past several years, but projections it will become the third most populous by the

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Ahmad et al. J Anim Plant Sci, 22(Sup 2): 113-116

year 2050 (United Nations, 2011). Keeping this in mind, and farmers, its role in dissemination of modern
extension professionals and dairy farmers in Pakistan technologies (including mechanization), and its ability to
need to be aware of the key drivers of future change so collect and process farmer feedback and communicate
that they can plan for changing demands. Some of the effectively. Hence the integration of primary and
key drivers of future change for the Pakistan dairy technological drivers into production systems is to a large
industry have been identified as milk quality and markets, degree dependent on effective dairy extension, which can
animal feed, animal breeding/genetics, and capacity be considered to be the major determinant for future
building through dairy extension. Figure 1 illustrates the change of the Pakistani dairy industry.
relationships between key drivers that are likely to bring
Sources of Milk Production in Pakistan: The major
about industrial change and the linkage between primary
share of production of milk in Pakistan is from buffaloes
and technological factors. Milk quality and marketing can
(66 %) followed by cows (32 %) and sheep and goats (2
be considered to be one of the main drivers of future
%). The major buffalo breeds are Nili-Ravi (79% of total
change for the Pakistani dairy industry, along with
Buffalo population) and Kundhi, while Sahiwal and Red
quality, adulteration, marketing channels, marketing
Sindhi are the dominant cow breeds. The vast majorities
intermediaries, regulations or policies and price control
(about 80%) of dairy farmers in Pakistan are
were considered to be its primary drivers. In addition
smallholding farmers and up to 43% of dairying
innovation in mechanization such as milk processing
households in Pakistan maintain herd sizes of 1-2 animals
plants and milk chillers are the technological drivers.
while another 37% of the households maintain herds
For dairy nutrition, the primary drivers in the
ranging from 3-5 animals. Some 90% of milk production
study were found to be feed quality, cost of production,
comes from these smallholder farmers. Milk marketing is
and grain and feed cost and availability, whilst
the main issue for the dairy production in Pakistan and
technology can contribute such things as new fodder
approximately 97 % of the dairy farmers are not linked
types and ration formulation, efficient fertilizer use and
with formal dairy market and hence not progressing in
certified seeds. For animal breeding and genetics the
economic terms (PDDC, 2006).
primary drivers were identified to be those that achieve
optimum profitability and productivity and in this case, Milk Production and Use: According to the “White
technology drivers include artificial insemination, breed Paper” by PDDC (2006) the milk production of the
preservation, production recording, health management country was 33 million tons with the distribution of milk
and reproductive monitoring. production and utilization dominated by Punjab region
Finally, dairy extension is an important aspect of (63 %), followed by Sind (23 %), North West Frontier
change, interlinked with all of the above mentioned Provence (NWFP) now called Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa (12
technological and primary drivers. It plays a bridging %) and Baluchistan (2%).
role, through its linkages between research organizations

Figure 1: Drivers of Future Change of Pakistan Dairy Industry.

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Ahmad et al. J Anim Plant Sci, 22(Sup 2): 113-116

The role of extension in the change process: Extension programs introduced by NGOs and government have
services in Pakistan emphasize practices as they apply to shown positive impacts on productivity and profitability
various enterprises and historically there has been no of dairy farmers. One of the government initiatives,
“dairy-specific” staff employed for dairy extension. Pakistan Dairy Development Company (PDDC), has
Instead, generalist agricultural extension workers have improved the socio-economic conditions of the dairy
been active in the field. Consequently farmer meetings or farmers, especially small and medium dairy farmers
gatherings are often not geared for specialist audiences, (Ahmad et al, 2008).
and it is difficult for untrained extension workers to The contribution of dairying to the national
provide the dairy-specific knowledge required. The gaps economy is of the order of Rs.540 billion, with 97%
(differences in productivity and profitability) between described as informal non-documented economic activity,
traditional farmers and progressive farmers can only be and this value was expected to grow at 4% per year in
removed with the help of effective dairy extension. Some 2006 (PDDC, 2006). The major causes associated with
other problems in the country which reduce the flow of the under-developed buffalo farms have been identified
information to dairy farmers are the poor linkages as: i) calf losses, irregular breeding, imbalanced feeding;
between research, dairy extension and educational ii) ungainly loans and; iii) a hostile marketing system.
institutions. The three causes at commercial buffalo herds throughout
There are three agricultural universities, three Pakistan, lead to annual losses to the tune of Rs.1043.67
agricultural colleges, six agricultural training institutes, billion (US$ 1=Rs.60) (Qureshi, 2000). In a later study
and fifteen research centers at a federal level, and one Qureshi et al. (2002) concluded that excess intake of
research center in each province. The research institutions crude protein, associated with higher serum urea levels
need to present the findings of their research to farmers in and low energy intake, associated with poor body
simple terms and in the regional languages. Thus the condition, were the key factors for low reproductive
strengthening of dairy extension with personnel able to efficiency which could be corrected by adopting a proper
operate at the interface between research and practical feeding strategy.
application is a challenge for the expansion of dairy The recent flooding and militancy have
productivity in Pakistan. impacted the dairy industry severely. In the last decade
In past many researchers (Bindlish and Evenson, the industry has shown some progress towards using
1997; Hussain et al, 1994; Khan et al,1984) have modern dairy farming methods with improvements in
suggested that reorganization, redesigning and dairy extension and the employing of specialist dairy
restructuring for agriculture extension was necessary. A extension professionals. The objective of the extension
report ‘Dilemmas of Agricultural Extension in Pakistan’ positions was to work with farmers on their farms rather
highlighted that “in the late 1980’s, the national than from an office. The new extension programs and
commission on Agriculture, citing the failure of public strategies are ‘farmer friendly’ and this initiative is
extension to appreciably increase agricultural expected to be one of the important drivers of future
productivity, recommended the inclusion of the private change for the industry. If both government and private
sector for the accelerated development of agriculture” sectors work together towards improving agricultural
(Davison et al, 2001). This report also states that the sustainability, this may contribute to a second ‘Green
private and public sector agricultural extension programs Revolution” or ‘White Revolution” in Pakistan. In
in Pakistan ‘operate competing and overlapping addition, dairy farmers need to be innovative and
programs’. Public and private extension providers in the embrace technological development and farm
country are biased in providing extension information management changes in order to improve their
primarily for farmers with education and landholdings. production efficiency, while the challenge for the
The present situation for agriculture extension suggests extension professionals will be to practice modern
there is another need of reorganization, redesigning and extension strategies and keep the farmers up to date by
restructuring. disseminating the recent finding of new research in easy
Many critics (Bindlish and Evenson, 1997; local and non technical languages.
Hussain, et al., 1994; Khan, et al., 1984) think that
Conclusion and Recommendations: The current
agricultural extension has not remained effective for
scenario of dairy farming and the projected population
small or medium farmers, since the majority of the
growth in Pakistan needs dairy extension services to
services are offered to large farmers or landlords
sustain development and meet perceived needs. Dairy
possibly in the hope that modern practices will ‘tickle
extension services are very important for achieving
down’ to the more poorly educated small farmers, who
productivity outcomes, and dairy extension can play a
are not contacted. The small and medium farmers
major role in improving production and efficiency of the
produce approximately 93 % of milk, despite having little
dairy industry. The public and private sectors in the
if any formal contact with agricultural extension
country need to work hand in hand, while extension
(Davison, et al., 2001). However, some dairy extension

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Ahmad et al. J Anim Plant Sci, 22(Sup 2): 113-116

professionals need to provide effective delivery of the FAO. (2000). Strategic Framework for FAO 2000-2015.
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