Wider livestock farming needed to address protein deficiency: Experts

RAJSHAHI, Feb 24 (BSS): Large-scale promotion of the livestock sector is very important to remove the existing protein deficiency alongside ensuring food security, livestock experts and dairy and poultry farmers said.

The unemployment problem in the region especially in its rural areas could be reduced to a greater extent through making the dairy farming popular in the grassroots level.

Prof Dr Jalal Uddin of Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science of Rajshahi University told BSS here today that the region has an enormous prospect of expanding the livestock sector through best uses of its existing natural resources.

Besides meeting up the nutritional deficit especially meat and milk, the livestock sector has laudable contribution to enrich the soil nutrient, which is being declined gradually due to indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and harmful pesticides.

There is no alternative to expansion of dairy farming to maintain a sound environment along with protecting the biodiversity from further degradation, he added.

He said collective effort of all extension and research organizations has become an urgent need to attain the goal. "The sector needs a political commitment and will," he added.

Protein is the vital nutrition for normal growth and development of brain and other essential nourishments of human body while livestock is the pivotal source of nutrition.

Dr Jalal said most of the people suffer from malnutrition specially lacking of animal protein like milk, meat and egg.

He revealed that production of huge amount of meat through the indigenous beef-cattle improvement would supply low cost meat for people and it will ultimately protect them from malnutrition.

Production of good breed cattle from existing indigenous stock by applying artificial breeding technology particularly Shahiwal and local cattle cross-breeding is needed.