Published: December 2025
Publisher: Industrial Experts Forums Pakistan
Muhammad Asad Ur Rehman
GM Production, Hashmi Feed, Mirpurkhas, Pakistan
Email: drasaddogar@gmail.com
Broiler farming is the backbone of Pakistan poultry industry.
Over the past decades, the sector has evolved from small backyard farming to large, semi-integrated commercial, environmentally controlled farms that supply the best quality chicken meat to both urban and rural markets. Poultry now represents nearly 40-45% of total meat production, making it the most important source of animal protein in the country. Yet, despite its central role, per-capita consumption of broiler meat in Pakistan remains unexpectedly low. This is a fact that reflects deep structural, economic, and social barriers.
Production Scale and Industry Dynamics
According to the Pakistan Poultry Association, there are more than 15,000 commercial poultry farms, ranging from small growers with a few thousand birds to large operations with hundreds of thousands. These farms employ modern techniques, but the downstream chain is largely fragmented: only about 5-6% of broiler meat is processed through formal slaughterhouses and chilling plants. Many birds are still sold live or slaughtered in informal markets, limiting the availability of packaged, value-added meat.
This structural fragmentation contributes to inefficiencies and price instability. Feed, which accounts for up to 65-75% of production cost, is heavily dependent on imported inputs like soybean and canola seeds or meals. When input prices rise, due to currency shocks or global commodity markets, broiler producers pass on costs to consumers, shrinking demand especially among lower-income segments. Energy shortages also intensify the issues: unreliable electricity increases production risk, making it costly to maintain controlled housing conditions.
Consumer Mistrust and Social Myths
Among the most challenging obstacles to improving broiler meat consumption are widespread consumer perceptions and deeply held myths. These beliefs are not always grounded in science, but they strongly influence purchasing behavior.
One persistent myth is that broilers are injected with growth hormones or steroids. Modern broilers grow rapidly due to decades of selective breeding and optimized nutrition, not exogenous hormonal stimulation. Another misconception is that broilers are fed “haram” or unclean ingredients such as offal, blood, or animal by-products. In commercial operations in Pakistan, feed is mainly plant-based (maize, rice broken, soybean meal, canola meal, sunflower meal, vegetable oils etc), following strict feed-safety regulations. Some of the feed mills use fish meals as well but they are totally safe as their processing is highly controlled and hygienic.
A third concern is the idea that broilers are “machine-made” or genetically unnatural. The truth is more pedestrian: broilers come from parent flocks, and fertile eggs are incubated in hatchery. This system is standard in commercial poultry globally; no genetic modification or unnatural creation process is involved.
Misinformation is amplified via social media, where alarming images of diseased birds or “viruses in chicken” frequently circulate. These posts often show birds from unrelated scenarios or different countries, yet they spread fear. Many consumers avoid broiler meat as a result, preferring traditional “desi” chicken, which they believe to be more nutritious or safer, even though nutritional analyses do not show a meaningful advantage.
Food Safety, Antibiotics, and Taste
Beyond myths, legitimate concerns persist around food safety. The limited penetration of certified slaughterhouses and cold-chain infrastructure means that a large portion of broiler meat enters the market through informal channels, where hygiene and inspection are inconsistent. This undermines confidence in packaged chicken and limits adoption of processed formats.
The use of antimicrobials, especially on the farms, adds another layer of complexity. Studies on Pakistani broiler farms have documented widespread use of antibiotics, including drugs that are critically important for human medicine. For example, prophylactic and therapeutic use of neomycin, doxycycline, and other classes has been reported. Overuse, misuse, or lack of prescription oversight contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health threat. While thorough cooking can remove many bacterial pathogens, the long-term implications of antimicrobial use on resistance remain a serious issue.
Another major issue is market weight of broiler chicken. In majority of regions of Pakistan, the market weight of live birds ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 kg, even 4 kg. These heavier birds have less taste and juiciness due to physiochemical attributes of meat changing with age. This is also a factor that customers prefer other forms of meat due to better taste and people consider Desi chicken more nutritious compared to broiler.
Strategic Pathways to Restore Trust and Boost Consumption
Overcoming these challenges demands a coordinated strategy that addresses both supply and demand. Below are actionable pathways to build a more resilient, trusted, and efficient broiler sector:
Investments in licensed slaughter facilities, chilling units, and value-added processing can transition most of the poultry meat chain into formal, hygienic markets. The selling of raw chicken meat in the shops should be regularized, and the hygienic slaughtering and processing should be ensured. The shops should be in a clean environment. Regulatory frameworks must be enforced to limit unregulated use of antibiotics. Integrated surveillance systems should track the antimicrobial use across farms to avoid unnecessary “courses of antibiotic” and promote veterinary prescription-based use only. Training programs for farmers on biosecurity, disease prevention, and alternatives (e.g., vaccines, probiotics) will reduce reliance on medication.
Public awareness campaigns, leveraging digital media, community workshops, and influencers, can dispel common myths. Technical people should be designated by Pakistan Poultry Association for interviews with TV channels, influencers and podcasters to address the myths regarding poultry meat. Packaging transparency, such as QR codes or traceability labels that reveal farm origin, vaccination status, and slaughter date, can build trust. Provide small and medium-scale producers with training in best practices, from housing design to vaccination schedules. Subsidized access to renewable energy (solar or backup) can help stabilize environmental conditions on farms, making production more predictable and efficient.
Enforce food-safety standards strictly and empower inspection systems. Encourage public-private partnerships to build infrastructure. A national poultry development policy should align production targets with nutritional goals, export potential, and public health objectives. Broiler should be marketed at lower weights (2 kg) to improve consumer acceptance due to better taste of younger birds.
Why This Strategy Matters
Boosting broiler consumption is not just about growing the poultry sector; it is a critical lever for national nutrition, job creation, and public health. When broiler meat becomes more trusted, affordable, and widespread, it can contribute significantly to closing Pakistan’s animal-protein gap. Moreover, a modernized poultry value chain supports livelihoods across rural and peri-urban areas, enabling small-scale farmers to benefit from scale economies without compromising food safety.
Finally, responsible antibiotic use and robust regulation can mitigate public-health risks, ensuring that poultry remains a safe and sustainable component of Pakistani diets.