A Consistent Estimate of the Value of Animal Products in West Pakistan

According to the 1962/63 Revised National Accounts, livestock contributes 16.1 per cent of West Pakistan’s gross domestic provincial product at constant (1959/60) factor cost. Given the size of the sector—it is larger than large and small-scale manufacturing combined—one would hope that estimates of gross production value, value-added, etc., were based on fairly detailed and accurate studies. Unfortunately, such studies have never been done for West Pakistan, and only the crudest of indirect methods have been used to derive the figures used in official statistics. For example, milk production, which makes up roughly three-quarters of total livestock production (excluding power) is estimated by applying a poorly documented yield figure to an animal population that has never been accurately enumerated. Much the same procedure has been used for other products such as meat, eggs, hides and skins, etc.