In Pakistan, Poultry Production has been playing a vital role in bridging the gap between the supply and demand of animal protein foods for its ever-increasing human population. Eggs and poultry meat are considered to be one of the best sources of animal protein of high biological value. Poultry offers the best prospects as a commercial enterprise Poultry Production on a commercial scale was estab
lished in Pakistan in early 1960 and since then this sector has shown spectacular progress and development. The growth rate in this sector has been about 8 to 10 percent per annum for about the last decade. The poultry production sector despite its spectacular growth and development is facing some challenges and problems which may hinder its present pace of development, among these major problems, are poor marketing infrastructure, rise in the cost of production, reduction in profit margin, and high incidence of poultry diseases, etc. Human resource development in the field of poultry production is one of the tools to enhance its efficiency of production. The new trends along with the anticipated high growth rate in this sector, require the provision of high-tech, better-skilled farm managers capable of handling all the modern environmental controlled housing and management systems. Present professional degree program “Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)” is of 5 years duration which is being pursued at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, under which 3 different courses namely “Introduction to Poultry Production (2nd Semester)”, “Commerical Poultry Production” (7th semester)” and Breeder and Hatchery Management (8th semester)” are offered by the department of poultry production. Keeping in view the future needs of this fast-growing dynamic sector which is rapidly transforming into a special high-tech integrated, industry, it is felt that we have to produce better-skilled poultry farm managers to meet the future needs of the poultry industry. Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and stakeholders have long been demanding the initiation of a specialized degree program in poultry science to cater to their needs to run poultry farm management in a more effective manner. Such degree courses in Poultry Production (B.S Hons. Poultry Science) are also being offered in many universities in USA and other European countries. During a recent visit of Governor of Punjab/ Chancellor of this University on 25-05-2007, leading poultry breeders and representative of Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) once again put forward their demand to start 4 years B.S (Hons.) degree program in Poultry Science at UVAS as already has been done by University of Faisalabad at its sub-campus at Toba Tek Singh. They stressed that initiation of this specialized degree program would provide the poultry industry with services of better-skilled Farm managers able to effectively supervise modern poultry breeding Farms.
