Planning and Development (P&D) Board Chairman Barrister Nabeel Ahmad Awan chaired a meeting on Friday to address the challenges in dairy development in Punjab. Representatives from the relevant industry participated in the discussion.
During the meeting, it was noted that while Pakistan ranks as the 5th largest milk producer globally, only 2 billion of the 30 billion liters of milk produced annually meet international safety standards.
Barrister Nabeel Awan emphasized Punjab’s significant contribution to milk production, accounting for 60% of the country’s total output, and its crucial role in enhancing milk safety. He highlighted the potential of public-private partnerships in driving improvements, benefiting public health and the provincial economy. He further stressed that robust policies could help combat child malnutrition, which affects over 40% of children under five in Punjab.
The chairman called for the development of a comprehensive safe milk framework and proposed a consultation session with experts in January to address critical issues. The meeting was attended by former Federal Secretary Waqar Masood, Member Agriculture Aslam Javaid, Member Health Shafaat Ali, Consultant Javed Latif, and others.