InfoAnda - Pakistan pioneers lead epic struggle for more milk |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Raiders sign linebacker Kamerion Wimbley to five-year deal | 2 August 2011
AP NewsAlert | 1 November 2009
Webbys for NY Times, Boston Globe, Guardian, BBC | 6 May 2009

Analysis: Rise of the machines: America's jobs challenge | | 19 October 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Pakistan pioneers lead epic struggle for more milk |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Breakingviews Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Slideshow Pictures Photos of the week Our top photos from the past week. Slideshow Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Two members of punk rock band flee Russia 9:19am EDT First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82 | 25 Aug 2012 Assad's forces accused of massacre near Syrian capital | 1:31pm EDT Jury didn't want to let Samsung off easy in Apple trial: foreman 25 Aug 2012 Empire State gunman planned to not return home: NY police | 2:34pm EDT Discussed 138 Obama’s lead over Romney grows despite voters’ pessimism 122 Romney to announce vice presidential choice Saturday 94 Analysis: Are Israelis tough enough for a long war with Iran? Sponsored Links Pakistan pioneers lead epic struggle for more milk Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Drone strike may have killed Haqqani network leader Sat, Aug 25 2012 USDA closes California slaughterhouse over cow cruelty video Tue, Aug 21 2012 In Pakistan, underground parties push the boundaries Tue, Aug 21 2012 Balkan drought highlights years of farm neglect Mon, Aug 20 2012 Drone attacks pound northern Pakistan, killing 13 in two days Sun, Aug 19 2012 Analysis & Opinion Meatless Mondays can be patriotic, too Market geniuses donâ€™t even get milk Related Topics World » 1 of 6. Milkmen gather outside a distribution point in Sahiwal, located in Punjab province, August 14, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Mian Khursheed By Michael Georgy NAROWAL, Pakistan | Sun Aug 26, 2012 5:27pm EDT NAROWAL, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani Shahzad Iqbal abandoned the jet-set lifestyle of a corporate executive because he wanted to do something worthwhile for his country. So he invested his life savings in world-class bull semen. He imports the sperm from potent bulls in the West, with names like Socrates, Air Raid and Liberator, and sells it at affordable prices to farmers so they can breed cows that produce higher volumes of quality milk. Iqbal is one of a band of trailblazers - from small-town entrepreneurs to managers in multi-national companies - who want to transform Pakistan's ramshackle dairy industry into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. "It's going to take a revolution to turn it around," said Iqbal, as his farm workers moved metal cylinders filled with liquefied nitrogen gas that store the semen at -196 Celsius (-321 Fahrenheit). If Iqbal and his comrades can succeed in their mission to overturn centuries-old practices and introduce modern techniques, they could open the door to a revolution in the livelihoods of millions of impoverished farmers. The dismal state of the dairy industry is a striking example of Pakistan's habit of missing opportunities throughout a 65-year history tainted by military coups, political infighting and a form of crony capitalism that has stifled entrepreneurship. With 63 million cows and buffaloes, Pakistan has one of the world's biggest herds, but it cannot export milk because the animals' yields are so low. Preoccupied by power struggles and tension with the army, successive governments have failed to realize the potential of the sector, which engages about 35 million people, or 20 percent of the population, in direct or related work. While other countries worked on ways to improve livestock gene pools, fodder and veterinary medicine, Pakistan largely left its farmers to fend for themselves over the decades. The result is a haphazard supply chain riddled with inefficiencies stretching from the cow's udder all the way to the tea cup. "CHASING MY ANIMALS" The challenge for Iqbal and his fellow pioneers starts with men like 65-year-old Abdul Rashid, a farmer limping along with a cane made from a branch, trying to keep up with his cows and buffaloes wandering through flooded fields in Punjab, Pakistan's agricultural heartland. Unlike in the West, where livestock is neatly organized in high-tech farms for maximum efficiency, Pakistan's dairy industry is fragmented. The majority of suppliers are individual farmers who own three or four cows and buffalos and are scattered in remote villages along crumbling roads or cart tracks. There is no modern marketing system, so it is up to the farmers to find a buyer for their meager yields. "I have no one to turn to for help," said Rashid as he struggled to stop his animals wandering across a road. "I spend my time chasing my animals and they don't give me enough milk to improve my family's life." Rashid and millions of farmers like him rely on middlemen, or dodhis in Urdu, to sell their milk to households, transporting it in rusty cans tied to old Yamaha motorcycles. In the potholed town of Sahiwal, dodhis dropped dirty ice cubes into the churns. Dead flies floated on the surface, a reminder of the bacteria that often contaminates Pakistan's milk supplies. "Nothing has changed in 40 years," said one of the middlemen, Mohammed Akram, 55, wearing worn-out plastic sandals and standing near a pile of fetid garbage. "We get up at four in the morning to buy the milk, two kilograms from here, four kilograms from there. We get it from far and wide. It's a lot of hard work." Only about three percent of Pakistan's milk is processed, unlike in many countries where supermarket shelves are stacked with various domestically produced brands. DREAMS After 15 years of making good money as an executive for Western beverage and tobacco companies overseas, Iqbal decided he wanted to do something for Pakistan. To Iqbal, there was no more glaring example of the gap between Pakistan's potential and its performance than the dairy industry. Rather than despair, he saw an opportunity, pouring his savings of $1 million into creating a breed improvement project called Jassar Farms. He dreams of the day when the average Pakistani cow, which yields about 1,600 liters (420 U.S. gallons) of milk after it calves, can compete with the top of the line Israeli Holstein that churns out 12,500 liters (3,300 gallons). Iqbal acknowledges the odds are stacked against entrepreneurs in Pakistan because of red tape, corruption, poor governance, chronic power cuts and a Taliban insurgency that keeps many investors away. "I'm not saying I'm mad, but certainly I'm not absolutely normal either, because it takes a lot of persistence to undertake this kind of challenge," said Iqbal, wearing a pink polo shirt and jeans. BIG MONEY Iqbal can take comfort from the fact that he is not alone in his quest for reform. Some international companies are also working for change. Nestle has installed 3,200 industrial-size milk refrigerators at collection points across the country to lay the foundations for the kind of cold storage chain essential for a modern dairy industry, and give farmers a steady market for their milk. At a training centre with manicured lawns and spotless dormitories for farmers in Punjab, Nestle holds workshops to drive home a simple message - properly managed cows produce more milk. Instructors show farmers how to treat their animals - the Nestle cattle lounge around on soft sand under powerful fans, chewing nutritious fodder. They have constant access to water - essential practices of which most farmers are ignorant. So far, Nestle has put 9,000 farmers through the program. Some have doubled their milk output, says the company, which estimates it could make about $450 million in milk exports from Pakistan. "The potential is very large but it will only succeed if we can develop milk of export quality because we need to be able to trade in the commodity export market," said New Zealander Bill Stevenson, head of milk collection and dairy development at Nestle Pakistan Ltd. Like Iqbal, he has found that deep in rural Punjab, attitudes are hard to change. Many farmers still view their animals as status symbols, not assets that can help turn around the economy, where some believe a lack of opportunities for a frustrated, youthful population may pose as big a threat to stability as militancy. Cows are often sold to pay for weddings or dowries and are seen as four-legged insurance policies for hard times, usually living beside farmers' mud and brick homes. "It's a full-time job," said farmer Mukhtar Ahmed as he lay on a rope bed outside his home, a cow defecating nearby. "And farmers can't always sell their milk because it's not easy to transport and find buyers. Many are left with unsold milk." (Editing by Robert Birsel) World Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Monday, 27 August 2012
Britain wants to restart Assange talks with Ecuador |
Analysis: Politics the priority for China as economy slows |
Nigeria navy frees 28 kidnapped oil workers |
Pakistan pioneers lead epic struggle for more milk |
Graffiti artists thrive in reform-era Myanmar |
Under China's watch, Macau won't return to Gangster's Paradise |
Dutch Liberals, Socialists in close race ahead of vote |
Two dead as clashes flare again in Lebanon's Tripoli |
Libya minister quits after criticism over attacks |
Saudi Aramco says most damage from computer attack fixed |
Assad's forces accused of massacre near Syrian capital |
Two U.S. troops killed by rogue Afghan soldier |
Venezuela struggles with refinery blaze after deadly blast |
Major quake hits off El Salvador, no damage reported |
Japan blocks landing on disputed islands to defuse China tensions |
Seventeen party-goers found beheaded in southern Afghan village |
Analysis: South Africa mine killings could hurt Zuma ahead of vote |
Pakistan Supreme Court gives PM more time in graft case |
Analysis: Politics the priority for China as economy slows |
Analysis: How Apple overwhelmed Samsung's patent case tactics |
Samsung shares drop $12 billion after Apple's court victory |
Analysis: Friend and foe; Samsung, Apple won't want to damage parts deal |
ASML says Samsung invests in its latest chip technology |
U.S. troops face punishment over Koran burning, urination video |
Netanyahu to keep nest egg clear of Israel-Iran war talk |
Labor strife returns in South Africa's platinum belt |
Fire still burning at Venezuela's biggest refinery |
Romania parliament clears president's return to office |
Muppet urges Israelis to prepare for possible emergency |
Myanmar president promotes reformers in cabinet shake-up |
Iran might let diplomats visit suspected nuclear site |
German consumer group sets Facebook privacy ultimatum |
Nokia jumps on hopes it can cash in on Samsung setback |
IBM enters web applications market with $1.3 billion Kenexa buy |
Clooney star guest at Obama fundraiser in Switzerland |
Venice film festival promises sex and Scientology |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01