Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

4.3 Production <strong>and</strong> Marketing of Livestock
Products in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya
Inam-ur-Rahim 26 <strong>and</strong> Ghulam Amin Beg 27
Abstract
The pastoral products in the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya regions of
Northern Pakistan can be divided into livestock <strong>and</strong> non-livestock origin.
There is no organized live animals market in Gilgit, Baltistan <strong>and</strong> Chitral
<strong>and</strong> most of the small ruminants particularly goats are consumed intensively
in celebratory <strong>and</strong> sorrowful occasions, occasionally butchered or find their
ways to be sold through different intermediaries in livestock markets in down
country Pakistan. Cows are however commonly butchered <strong>and</strong> marketed locally
<strong>and</strong> even culled buffaloes <strong>and</strong> cattle are brought from down the valleys
for slaughter to the urban centres <strong>and</strong> market places such as Gilgit, Skardu,
Chilas <strong>and</strong> Chitral. Among the livestock products those from milk <strong>and</strong> wool
are specially valued. The butter oil (desi ghee, traditional clarified butter) is a
sign of prestige <strong>and</strong> thus has special occasional usage, while cheese <strong>and</strong> dried
whey (qurut) are for common domestic utility during winter. For desi ghee a
small intensive market has also evolved in the growing towns, in particular
where many households are now involved in off-farm occupation serving as the
buyers. Woollen h<strong>and</strong>icrafts on the other h<strong>and</strong>, has created a sizable market in
Chitral <strong>and</strong> Gilgit, where the people in specific valleys keep indigenous fine
wool sheep breed <strong>and</strong> use the wool of different age groups <strong>and</strong> different parts
of the body is for producing different quality crafts for domestic utility <strong>and</strong>
market down the country <strong>and</strong> abroad. The production of different woollen
crafts also follows a particular family labour use pattern. Organizations like
Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) <strong>and</strong> Programme for Mountain
Areas Conservation (PMAC) are involved in improving the wool processing
tools, processing techniques <strong>and</strong> marketing of woollen products. The PMAC is
developing a wool processing unit in Garam Chashma (Chitral) as community
enterprise that will further contribute to the improvement of the quality of
woollen products. Goat hair is also used for preparing rugs for domestic utility
especially by pastoralists. In the past skins were processed locally at the village
26 Senior Researcher University of Central Asia, NCCR (North-South) Central Asia <strong>and</strong>
L<strong>and</strong>less Pastoralists Research Project Northern Pakistan
27 Programme Manager, Policy Dialogue <strong>and</strong> Partnership, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme
Gilgit
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> > > 4. Niche Production as an Additional Asset for <strong>Pastoralism</strong> <strong>and</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Management</strong>