LAHORE: Pakistan is seeking Malaysia’s expertise to tap the billion dollar meat market in the Middle East.
Pakistan’s
Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Department secretary Mohammad
Jehanzeh Khan said Pakistan had plenty of potential but lacked the
expertise and technology to slaughter, process and market meat
commercially.
“Right now, the export (of meat) to the Middle
East is worth US$70mil. With the right expertise and technology, we can
hit US$500mil in two to three years. The Chief Minister thinks we can
go up to US$2bil.
“Middle East has strong purchasing power, and
Malaysia and Pakistan can work together to target the region,” he told
a Malaysian media delegation here.
Pakistan has 60 million
cattle, 55 million goats and sheep, and 30 million buffaloes. Besides
exporting meat to Middle East, Pakistan also exports live animals to
Central Asia.
Jehanzeh said he would be hosting a government-led Malaysian delegation later this month to further develop the idea.
He said Malaysia was familiar with processing meat using halal methods. “With halal slaughtering plants, the machinery will make it more efficient. And Malaysia has done well with halal certification,” he said.
He added that with a 97% Muslim population, Pakistan did not conduct halal certification of its meat, and this could have deterred some countries from importing its meat.
