April 2, 2026

 

Livestock sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, undergoes new phase of reforms

 

 

The livestock sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, has entered a new phase of reforms, digitisation, and improved service delivery in line with the transformation agenda of the current management of the department, aimed at improving governance, strengthening field services, and boosting long-term growth.

 

According to Zariful Maani, Secretary, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperative Department, the initiatives introduced within a short period have started yielding tangible results in terms of transparency, institutional performance, and farmer outreach across the province.

 

The department has developed a comprehensive sector roadmap in consultation with technical experts, stakeholders, and informal policy forums."The roadmap is now guiding policy alignment, development planning, and institutional restructuring in line with the evolving needs of the livestock economy", Zariful Maani told The News.

 

To strengthen internal cohesion, the department has also conducted several training sessions to build the capacity of officers and officials in the livestock, research, fisheries, and cooperatives sectors.

 

These efforts have led to improved institutional coordination and stronger ownership of reform initiatives. A breakthrough in the reform process has been the launch of an indigenous Livestock Management Information System (LMIS), developed by the department's staff using its own resources.

 

"The system is already producing measurable improvements. A digital attendance application introduced under LMIS has increased staff attendance from 42% to 95% within a month, which will certainly promote discipline and accountability," the secretary said.

 

Similarly, a digital medicine procurement and management system has been introduced to ensure transparency in the use of public funds.

 

"Earlier, there was no such mechanism for the procurement and tracking of medicines and vaccines," he said.

 

"District-level scorecards for livestock and allied sectors have also been developed to enable performance tracking and strengthen service delivery. For the first time, district profiling of livestock resources has been undertaken to support evidence-based decision-making," the secretary explained.

In a bid to institutionalise innovation, the government has approved a Rs99 million (US$354,816) project focused on digitisation and traceability. The initiative aims to transition the sector from conventional administration to smart governance driven by data and measurable outcomes, he added.

 

Speaking about institutional reforms, he said efforts were being made to operationalise the Animal Husbandry Training Institute (AHITI) slaughterhouse through a sustainable outsourcing model in collaboration with private partners.
 

- The News Pakistan