Livestock constitutes a vital part of the agriculture of a nation. In Pakistan, farm animals are the largest users of range land. Without them it would not be possible to profitably utilize crop residue, stubble, or roadside and scattered vegetation on the range land and hilly areas throughout the country. Livestock and poultry raising is one of the biggest industries in Pakistan. The total value of products obtained from livestock and poultry in 1992-93 was 170 billion rupees. These products were obtained from approximately 110 million animals producing mild, meat and fibre and nearly 183 million poultry birds. These figures reflect the fact that Pakistan possesses considerable animal resources.
The export value of certain livestock products and by-products such as leather, footwear, animal casings, raw wool, carpets and rugs during the financial year 1992-93 exceeded 12 billion rupees. The net foreign exchange earnings from the livestock sector were over 12 percent of overall exports in 1992-93, showing an increase of 20 percent over the year 1985-86. Although livestock production in Pakistan is primarily a subsistence activity, it accounts for about 30 percent of the agriculture gross domestic product (GDP) and more than 7 percent of the the total GDP. Thus, animals and animal products contribute billions of rupees to the national economy every year.
