Islamabad The government has initiated a comprehensive transformation strategy aimed at unlocking the potential of the country’s halal meat exports and promoting the development of the local livestock sector, with a target to increase meat exports to $700 million by 2028.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The initiative is designed to enhance Pakistan’s presence in international halal meat markets while strengthening the livestock industry through value addition, improved standards, and greater export competitiveness, said an official in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
The strategy forms part of the government’s broader efforts to expand export earnings and support sustainable growth in the agriculture and livestock sectors. Under the transformation strategy, the meat sector is targeted to grow at around 6 percent annually, while exports are projected to rise from approximately $500 million to nearly $700 million by 2028.
The livestock sector is increasingly being positioned as a strategic driver of export led agricultural growth, with a population exceeding 250 million animals. Local meat exports increased from $196 million in 2015 to around $427 million in 2024, while total meat exports in FY 2025 exceeded $500 million.
Despite this progress, Pakistan’s share in global meat exports remains below one percent, highlighting substantial untapped potential in international markets. To unlock this potential, the government has initiated a plan aimed at developing disease free, traceable, and export oriented meat value chains.
The reform agenda focuses on improving livestock genetics, controlling Foot and Mouth Disease, promoting commercial feedlot farming, strengthening cold chain logistics, and increasing frozen and value added meat exports, particularly for high growth markets such as China and the Gulf region. This will also help to promote the local livestock sector on modern lines and enhance its productivity.
In order to ensure coordinated implementation, the government has constituted the National Meat Transformation and Export Council as the apex policy and oversight body. The council comprises chief ministers of all provinces alongside key Federal stakeholders.
The council’s terms of reference include approval of the national roadmap and annual action plans, besides setting targets for production, exports, and disease control, as well as harmonization of federal and provincial regulations.
The council will also oversee disease control and traceability systems, facilitate investment in feedlots, processing, and cold chain infrastructure, coordinate market access negotiations, and perform quarterly reviews of implementation progress and inter agency coordination.