Govt finalises plan to boost meat exports to Malaysia with $200m target

A high-level meeting has finalised Pakistan’s business plan for expanding meat exports to Malaysia, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

The session was jointly chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar Khan, Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain and Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, with officials from relevant ministries, technical experts and private sector stakeholders in attendance.

Officials briefed the meeting on the finalised plan, which aims to increase Pakistan’s halal meat exports to Malaysia to $200 million over the next three to five years. Pakistan currently exports buffalo meat worth only $38,000 to Malaysia.

Haroon Akhtar said an efficient framework has been developed to support the expansion of meat exports, adding that tasks and timelines have been assigned to each relevant sector to deliver on the export target. He also announced that the halal meat sector would be granted industry status to support growth.

The committee identified key challenges facing the sector — including foot-and-mouth disease, processing gaps and logistical issues — which need to be addressed to make Pakistani exports competitive.

Jam Kamal noted that the export package was finalised with consensus from all stakeholders, while emphasising the need for financial facilitation from the banking sector and federal and provincial authorities to reduce export costs.

Rana Tanveer Hussain told the meeting that new slaughterhouses meeting Malaysian standards would be developed to support compliance and strengthen Pakistan’s position in the Malaysian market.