Milk Imports Destroying Local Dairy Sector, Says FPCCI
PAKISTAN - The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said increasing import of milk and whey powders are slowly destroying the local dairy sector while contributing to rural poverty and playing havoc with people’s health.
14 June 2017
1 minute read
The local dairy sector has become unattractive for investors which have resulted in falling milk production due to closure of hundreds of farms, said Atif Ikram Sheikh FPCCI Chairman Regional Committee on Industries. The government should take immediate steps to reverse the situation otherwise Pakistan will become a milk-deficient country, he said.
According to Daily Times, Mr Sheikh said that local dairy sector is going down since 2013 due to the import of milk powder which runs in tens of millions. The country imports two to three crore kilogramme of milk powder annually while the imports jumped to 44 million Kilogramme in 2015.
Milk sellers have started cheap milk powder in fresh milk while many industries using fresh milk have switched to imported dry milk which has added to the problems of the local dairy sector, he observed.
Mr Sheikh said that Turkey has imposed a 180 per cent duty on import of milk and therefore, Pakistan should also hike duty to a minimum of 100 percent.
He also said that the local milk market needs to be regulated, adulteration should be discouraged and masses should know the difference between fresh milk and synthetic products, which are very damaging for babies.
TheCattleSite News Desk
