Minister for Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, Abdul Ghani Kohli today convened a meeting to discuss and work out the strategy for further streamline the functioning of the department with focus on promotion of sheep farms in the State.The Minister said establishment of sheep farms would not only boost wool, mutton and milk production but will open up new employment avenues for the youth. “It is firm commitment of the present dispensation to extend all necessary support to sheep rearers so that they optimally utilize this business for their socio-economic emancipation,” he asserted.Minister of State for Animal, Sheep Husbandry, Cooperative and Fisheries, Zahoor Ahmad Mir was also present on the occasion.Kohli, while taking stock of different activities of the department, exhorted upon the officers to step up efforts for effective implementation of various schemes aimed at promoting interests of farming community. He asked them to keep a strict monitoring over the performance of their field functionaries to get optimum results from the government schemes.
Kohli said the government is paying focused attention on expansion of sheep farms in the state. “The department has established various veterinary centers and also modernized labs in the state to provide veterinary healthcare facility to the livestock," he added.The Minister directed the officers for effective implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes in order to promote the sheep population in the state.Highlighting scope and potential of sheep husbandry sector in the state, the Minister asked the concerned officers to identify suitable sites for construction of mini sheep farms in various districts of the state so that maximum youth can adopt this vocation. He stressed upon the youth of the rural areas to avail the benefits of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes to start their own income generating units.Minister of State for Animal, Sheep Husbandry, Cooperative and Fisheries, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, while addressing the meeting, said that our state has vast scope of promotion of this vital sector and the need is to utilize the available resources to the optimum. In this regard, he necessitated massive awareness among the people about the government schemes envisaging promotion of this vital unit of the state.Director Sheep Husbandry and other officers were present on the occasion.