Short Term Consultant –
Livestock and Dairy Expert

Short Term Consultant – Livestock and Dairy Expert

Chemonics international is executing a five year USAID funded Punjab Enabling Environment Project (PEEP). It requires the services a short term consultant having expertise in agriculture economics and business to work with Department of Agriculture (Punjab Government).

USAID PEEP has been designed to support advocacy for policy and regulatory reforms and early implementation of the same in agriculture sector (horticulture, livestock and dairy subsectors) of Punjab. The project is working in partnership with the Punjab’s public & private sector, civil society organizations and academia to create an environment that is more conducive to the growth of target sub-sectors.

1.      Background

PEEP provided support to University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), through grant and technical assistance, to establish the “Center for Applied Policy Research in Livestock” (CAPRIL). The objective of the center was to undertake the evidence based applied policy research in livestock sector. Through evidence based research studies and research papers, the proposed center will provide the recommendations to the policy makers to formulate and implement policies in line with emerging needs of the livestock sector, and in turn it will help develop enabling environment for potential investors.

Meat sector of Punjab has tremendous potential for earning foreign exchange and to meet the local increasing demand of meat and its products. The prime impediment for the development of meat sector has been the price capping of meat in the local market. The price is usually fixed arbitrarily by the authorities without keeping in view the per unit production cost being incurred by the farmer / producer. The phenomena has negatively affected the progress of the sector and also resulted into various malpractices by the retailers to reach to the profit margins. The study is likely to provide evidence based strategy for the development of the meat sector in Punjab.

The study will enhance the capacity of CAPRIL as an applied policy research institute by addressing the issue of price capping in dairy, the stumbling block in productivity enhancement.

2.      Scope of Work Summary

The study has been designed to evaluate the effect of price capping on the farm economics in high input high output system of livestock maintenance.

Following will be the scope of work for the consultant:

1. To collate the information pertaining to per unit cost of production of meat in the agro-livestock ecological zones in different periods of the year.
2. To collect the prices notified by the competent authorities in all districts of Punjab during the financial year 2015-16.
3. To conduct sample survey on the livestock enterprise and factors affecting the farm economies for poverty index verification through poverty score card.
4. To collect the information on the effect of price capping of meat on small and marginal livestock farmers.
5. To develop a functional model of meat production viable for the small and medium livestock holders.

For this assignment, the consultant will carry out the economic and financial analysis of keeping the livestock for meat purposes in the perspective of price fixation. The producer and consumer linkages along with the cost of production and purchase price of the livestock products be documented, analyzed and interpreted. 

3.      Objective and Purpose of the Consultancy:

The paramount objective of the study is to establish the cost of production of the meat and the sale price at farmers’ doorstep/farm gate and develop a correlation with the socio economic conditions of the small and medium livestock farmers.

The study is going to establish following facts:

1. Factors effecting the cost of production of meat,
2. Factors inhibiting the growth of meat industry,
3. Effects/impact of price capping on producer, processor and consumer,
4. Effect of price de-capping on the implementation of the regulatory reforms,
5. Strategy for the development of meat sector, keeping in view the require/need of the consumer for wholesome meat in the perspective of public health issues.

4.      Principal Duties, Specific Tasks and Responsibilities of the Consultant:

The consultant shall use his/her education, experience, competencies, and skills to accomplish the following:

1. The consultant will meet the COP USAID PEEP for apprising the work plan and get policy guidelines for the completion of the assignment.
2. Conduct on site study for evaluating the effects of price capping on farm economics of small and medium livestock farmers.
3. Keep record of key indicators/matrices and use them in a feasibility format for economic viability of rearing the livestock for meat purposes.
4. A comparative analysis report of the costs and benefits of raising the meat and dairy animals indicating the cost of production, sale price, and impact assessment on overall sector growth.
5. Submit comprehensive periodical reports and the final document of feasibility on the above mentioned assignments.

5.      Deliverables:

1. A report on cost of production of the meat and the sale price at farmers doorstep/farm gate during the financial year 2015-16.
2. A report on the prices notified by the competent authorities in all districts of Punjab during the financial year 2015-16.
3. Survey report on the livestock enterprise and factors affecting the farm economics for poverty index verification through poverty score card.
4. Report on the effect of price capping of meat on small and medium livestock holders.
5. To develop and document a functional model of meat production feasible for the small and medium holders.

6.      Job Qualifications

1. A PhD, Masters or a DVM in the field of livestock and dairy.

1. At least 10 years of professional experience of working in the livestock and dairy sector.
2. Current knowledge of the latest roles and trends in the livestock and dairy sector.
3. Experience in carrying out statistical data collection assignments and developing feasibility studies.
4. Strong writing skills, and experience of presenting complex technical information in an easily comprehensible way for non-specialist readers.
5. Good communication skills and fluency in English and Urdu.

7.      Duty Station:

The duty station for this consultancy is Lahore whereas, travel to the focal districts will be required.

8.      Reporting:

The consultant will report to the COP. The monitoring and oversight of the consultant’s work will be the responsibility of Livestock Sector Specialist and the HICD Specialist. 

9.      Duration of the Assignment:

        i.   A total of 25 day of LOE is proposed for this research activity. The breakup of the LOE is as follows:

1. Time spend at the farm for field study and data collection 20 days.
2. Data analysis 2 days
3. Work on the report 3 days

      ii.   The research study will be of 3 months duration, starting from the second week of November 2016 and complete till the second week of February 2017.