Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved the halal meat export policy and directed to present a three-year comprehensive strategy with practical steps in the next two weeks to increase halal meat exports.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office’s media wing, a review meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif regarding the halal meat export policy.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan and other relevant government officers.
In the meeting, the Prime Minister directed to present a three-year comprehensive strategy with practical steps in the next two weeks to increase halal meat exports, the production committee established to increase Pakistan’s halal meat export market, actionable suggestions for improving cold storage and other factors.
The Prime Minister said that a comprehensive strategy developed in coordination with all the relevant ministries and the provincial government is indispensable to make Pakistan’s export share valuable in the halal meat market of Muslim countries and around the world. Special steps should be taken to increase the production of halal meat in livestock according to world standards and in competition with regional production volumes. Centers organized in cooperation with the relevant federal ministries and provincial governments to increase the production and nutritional value of halal meat are the need of the hour.
The Prime Minister said that there is considerable scope to increase Pakistan’s export share not only in Muslim countries but also in the global halal meat market. The government will provide all possible assistance in the certification of slaughterhouses in the country to world standards and bilateral registration with other countries. He said that the business model to increase the export of halal meat should be formulated by benefiting from the best practices recognized at the global level.
The Prime Minister directed that special measures be taken to ensure that the slaughterhouses in the country are disease-free and have world-class sanitation facilities. Special attention should be paid to minimizing the cost of this sector to increase Pakistan’s halal meat exports, especially in a regional context.
During the briefing in the meeting, it was informed that there is a need to establish special zones and centers to increase the export of disease-free halal meat by Pakistan. The total production of halal meat in Pakistan is 6 million metric tons and after meeting the local requirement, a sufficient quantity is available for export. Special measures are being taken to increase the production of halal meat and to package it to world-class standards.