Here's a Fresh Plaza news report on fruits and vegetables production in Pakistan:

Pakistan produces over 14 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables of which almost one-third is wasted and never reaches the consumer. High post-harvest losses not only lower incomes of producers and traders, but also reduce the quantity available in local market as well as for export. Despite large production, our fresh produce exports are negligible (three per cent) and also fetch lower prices in international markets. So far Pakistani exporters have not been able to penetrate into high end supermarket chains, which account for about 80 per cent of the fruits and vegetables sales in the EU and other developed countries. Mango export earns about $24 million annually and around 60-70 per cent of good quality varieties is exported to the Middle East and 15-16 per cent to Europe.

The export of fresh produce, particularly mango is limited by enormous cost of air freight as compared to sea freight. The interest in sea freighting of mangoes is growing and probably it is the only commercially viable option for export to distant places in the future. However, it needs extended time and specific protocols to be developed for maintaining fruit quality, which is only possible using Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Technology. Mangoes from South America are being successfully shipped to the EU using CA Technology. Looking at the need and demand of the sector, Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB) initiated a project on “Exploiting Control Atmosphere Technology potential for extended storage and shipping of fresh produce to international markets”. The project was managed by Dr Aman Ullah Malik, Professor of Horticulture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) to increase shelf life of fresh vegetables and fruits for the export to distant markets.

The project was executed with collaboration of National Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFS&T), Plant Pathology department of UAF and METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan.The specific problems addressed were: optimum CA-conditions for different fruits and vegetables; extension of shelf life and maintenance of quality of mangoes and facilitating sea-freighting for reducing cost of shipment to high end markets. Chief Executive PARB Dr Mubarik Ali says the successful establishment of the SOP for CA technology for fresh produce would greatly benefit exporters in future”. It will generate a good return of money invested on research, enhance our exports and create sound recognition for Pakistani fresh products in international markets.
------------
Dr Amanullah said the usefulness of this project has been demonstrated by arranging seminars, trainings, workshops, meetings and visits for the local growers/ store keepers/ cold store operators/ traders and exporters. Another remarkable achievement is publication of two research papers in the 7th International Post-harvest Symposium in Malaysia. A modern Controlled Atmosphere R & D infrastructure has been developed at Institute of Horticultural Sciences to meet the long-term national needs.

http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=102535

Here's an excerpt from The Hindu story on Tendulkar's eating preferences:

The first time in Pakistan was a memorable experience. I used to just have a couple of keema parathas and lassi for breakfast, skip lunch and have nothing till dinner as it used to be so heavy and delicious and one wouldn’t think of having lunch in the afternoon. But on that tour I was 16 and was growing up. It was a phenomenal experience and when I came back from Pakistan to Mumbai and stood on the weighing scale I couldn’t believe myself. Whenever we have toured Pakistan, the food has been simply delicious and one has to be careful about not putting on weight. When you are 16 though, you can afford to, but not any longer.’’

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/tendulkar-first-tour-of-pakis...

At just 2.4 Kg, Pakistan's per capita fish consumption is among the lowest in the world. It's only half of India's 4.8 Kg and just one-fifth of Bangladesh's 11.6 Kg, but higher than Nepal's 1.3 Kg and Mongolia's 0.2 Kg.

Source: http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/fus/fus04/08_perita2004.pdf

Here's a BR story on Pak-Aus collaboration in horticulture and dairy sectors:

FAISALABAD: Australian and Pakistani scientists are striving to boost productivity of mango, citrus and dairy.

This was stated by Dr John Spriggs, a professor of Australian Institute for Sustainable Communities, University of Canberra, while addressing participants of Australia-Pakistan Agriculture Sector Linkages Program (ASLP II) research group meeting at Syndicate Hall of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) here on Friday.

He said horticultural and dairy sectors of Pakistan had great productivity potential, which was not being exploited as per capacity. He emphasized scientists to device farmers friendly solutions and packages.

He maintained that ASLP-II project would provide guidelines towards destination of prosperity and rural development. He was of the view that the three-year duration project had been initiated under developed areas of Sindh and Punjab.
-----------

ASLP 2 will:

Enhance selected value chains that benefit the rural poor through improved productivity market and employment opportunities
Support analysis that improves economic and natural resource management
Build the capacity of government, private and civil sectors to service the needs of stakeholders across the program.

ASLP 2 features:

implementation within value-chain frameworks, with additional attention to benefiting the poor and marginalized
focus on horticulture (mango and citrus) and livestock (dairy) sectors, with scope to later extend to other industries
attention to underlying policy, and institutional and technical capacity building
support for baseline assessment of the poverty and gender dimensions, and the modalities and technologies for modern communication within the industries, to broaden improvements and to enhance benefit flows to the poor and marginalised
poverty, gender and communication studies to strengthen capacity for better targeting of effort and extension delivery, and enhance intra- and inter-project collaboration and engagement with industry.

http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/business-a-economy/88746-australi...

http://aciar.gov.au/aslp

Here's HBS case study outline for Pakistan's K&N poultry:

In 2011 Khalil and Adil Sattar are considering growth opportunities for K&N's, their family business that is the market leader for processed chicken and value-added chicken products in Pakistan. This position has been built through a strategy of vertical integration, product innovation, and branding. K&N's has also developed its own chain of retail "Chicken Stores" to promote their products. Growth opportunities include contained expansion in Pakistan, exporting to nearby markets, and/or developing a global Halal food brand.

http://hbr.org/product/k-n-s-health-and-happiness-for-pakistan/an/5...

Here's a PakObserver report on German packaging form Multivac entering Pakistani market:

Sunday, December 02, 2012 - Karachi—The overall food and beverage trade in Pakistan has surged to $ 6 billion during 2011. Keeping in view the potential in the food sector of Pakistan a German company MULTIVAC has started operations in Pakistan.

The company moves the market with innovative packaging solutions, individual consultation and exceptional service. Said Amir Sotoudeh, MD MULTIVAC Middle East.

The company manufactures machines for the packaging of fresh or processed food, sterile goods and other medical products, today the company has a worldwide organization with more than 3,300 employees in 55 countries, he added.

We want to facilitate food sector of Pakistan with better packaging facilities in sectors especially ready-to-eat meal, fresh and frozen meat, seafood and bakery products, he further said.

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=185066

Junaid Jamshed, former Vital Signs singer, has started Meat One, a branded meat service in Pakistan.

Here's the link to it: http://www.meatone.net/

Here's a description from its website:

With a vow to supply supreme quality meat, Meat One is the very first of a new, specialized chain of meat stores in Karachi. Meat One is a subsidiary of the Al Shaheer Corporation, a very successful venture that has been exporting meat to the Middle East and GCC countries since 2008. We presently operate 12 outlets across the city of Karachi with plans to open additional shops. Retailing export quality beef, lamb and mutton, Meat One is the first of its kind in the meat shop space. The meat is supplied by our own abattoir located in Karachi, which currently exports beef and mutton to the Middle East. This plant is certified by health and food import departments of most Middle East and GCC countries. The free range, lean meat that Meat One offers you every day is natural and wholesome!

Here's NY Times on Argentina beef consumption:

It is hard to overstate beef’s centrality to the Argentine way of life for more than a century. Novels and poems extol the art of cattle ranching on the vast pampas, long a touchstone of national pride. Cafes in this city bulge with diners feasting on steaks washed down with glasses of malbec. At lunchtime, it is still possible to see construction crews preparing slabs of beef on makeshift grills, the smoky smell of this ritual permeating their work sites.

Argentines ate about 129 pounds of beef a person last year, far surpassing Americans, who mustered a mere 57.5 pounds by comparison. But Argentina’s current level is a pale shadow of its peak: 222 pounds of beef for every man, woman and child, achieved in 1956.

Reasons vary for these doldrums. Beef prices have surged with inflation, but cattlemen contend that government price controls aimed at preventing domestic beef consumption from falling further have wreaked havoc by making it costly to maintain large herds. Others, eying China’s rising demand for grains over the last decade, say it is simply more profitable to farm soybeans than to raise cattle.

“We are witnessing a historic decline in our beef industry,” said Ernesto Ambrosetti, chief economist of the Argentine Rural Society, the country’s largest farming association. “Now our smaller neighbors, Paraguay and Uruguay, have passed us” in the export rankings.

Government officials contend that their policies to lift beef consumption, including export restraints and price controls intended to make the meat more affordable, are turning the tide. Indeed, domestic consumption has recovered slightly from a record low in 2011.

But while Argentina has experienced swings in beef consumption in the past, some see the latest drops as evidence of a broader paradigm shift: many Argentines are simply opting for a more varied diet.

The shift — reflected in a rising demand for foods like poultry, pasta and pizza; a greater awareness of the health risks associated with eating beef; and even the emergence of an insurgent vegetarian dining scene in Buenos Aires — does not sit well with some Argentines.

“Beef consumption is threatened by modern trends of healthy eating, mainly the exaltation of what’s natural and ecological, stimulating vegetable consumption,” the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute warned in a 2006 report, warily acknowledging a “new age culture and the appearance of cooking fads incorporating other products.”

For some Argentines who were raised in a society so focused on beef, the adjustment was long overdue. “I almost don’t eat meat now,” said Susana Carfagna, a 61-year-old retiree, as she walked out of a butcher shop with some ground chicken as an alternative to beef burgers. “It’s not healthy. I have high cholesterol and need a more balanced diet.”

At Buenos Aires Verde, a vegetarian restaurant with a pastel orange and lime green color scheme, diners can choose from options like patties made from yamani rice and adzuki beans, or cannelloni made with dehydrated fruit and flax seeds.

“Argentines are demanding a change,” Mauro Massimino, 33, a vegetarian who owns the restaurant, said as his predominantly svelte clientele ate their meals. “Around five years ago, vegetarianism started to gain traction here, and the growth since has been incredible.”

The growth of vegetarian restaurants in Argentina’s capital has unfolded at a time of big change — some say upheaval — in the countryside. As recently as 2007, Argentina had about 55.6 million head of cattle, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. That number fell to 48.1 million in 2011, before recovering somewhat this year to an estimated 51.2 million. (That is still more cows than people, given the country’s population of more than 40 million.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/world/americas/argentina-falls-fr...

Here's a Gulf News report on Eid al Azha economy in Pakistan:

Karachi: Pakistan is likely to sacrifice millions of cattle on Eid Al Adha, to be observed on Wednesday generating significant economic activity worth $3-4 billion (Dh11-15 billion) besides performing their religious duty, analysts Tuesday said.
Pakistanis expected to slaughter around six million goats, sheep, cows and camels worth an estimated price of roughly Rs200 billion (Dh7 billion). The animals’ hides and skins, besides offal, horns and hooves also stir tens of billions of rupees into business.
“It is a good opportunity for the rural farmers and breeders who bring their animal to the cities where the people slaughter them in large number on Eid,” Mohammad Sohail, chief executive of Topline Securities said.

“To a rough estimate, Eid adds value into the economy to the tune of up to $4 billion,” he said.

In Karachi, one of the largest cattle markets is set up in the northern outskirts of the city where people started visiting. The slaughtering also poses a challenge to the civic agencies in the city as collection of offal has been a big task.
Emergency control rooms have been set up in 18 zones of the city which with the central complaint cell at the Civic Centre, in the central city. The control rooms remain functioning round the clock for the three days of Eid.
The municipal offices estimated that over one million animals would be slaughtered in this mega city.
The metropolitan chief also called upon the people to dump the offal at their nearest garbage collection point so that the sanitary staff could lift it timely and properly. The people were also called upon to not throw offal and casings onto roads, streets, public parks, empty plots of land or into sewage lines.

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/pakistan/eid-to-be-celebrated-today-...

Nature Magazine published a recent study which showed India and China are driving meat consumption growth in the world.

The researchers calculated the human trophic level for each year from 1961 to 2009 using a data on 102 types of food compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.The metric puts plants and algae, at trophic level 1, and polar bears and orcas, on top positions at levels of up to 5.5.

India's trophic level has now risen to 2.1 while Pakistan's is 2.4.

The countries with the highest trophic levels include Mongolia, Sweden and Finland, which have levels of 2.5, and the whole of Western Europe, USA, Australia, Argentina, Sudan, Mauritania, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, which all have a level of 2.4.

http://www.nature.com/news/humans-are-becoming-more-carnivorous-1.1...

Here's an excerpt from USDA report on rising meat consumption in developing world as incomes rise:

Over the next decade, increases in meat consumption in developing countries are projected to average 2.4 percent annually, compared with 0.9 percent in developed countries. Per capita poultry meat consumption in developing countries is projected to rise 2.8 percent per year during 2013-22, much faster than that of pork (2.2 percent) and beef (1.9 percent).

Imports of meat by developing countries will also rise rapidly because consumption is expected to increase faster than domestic production. Imports are projected to rise 3.4 percent per year for poultry, 2.9 for pork, and 4.1 percent for beef.

Poultry meat imports are projected to rise steadily in nearly all developing countries in the next decade, particularly in the Africa and the Middle East region, which is expected to account for 64 percent of the rise in world poultry imports. While population and income growth in the region will boost demand, concerns over animal disease outbreaks in a number of countries are expected to slow growth in poultry production and further increase demand for imports. As a result, the region’s poultry imports will grow more than the combined rate for the rest of the world, and by 2022, Africa and the Middle East will account for over half of world poultry imports.

Since 2009, pork imports by China have risen sharply and are projected to continue rising steadily, accounting for over half of the growth in world pork imports in 2013-22. Asian countries, excluding China and Japan, and Mexico are likely to account for most of the rest of the increase in world pork imports during the period. Some higher income countries in East Asia, such as Korea and Taiwan, are expected to increase pork imports to satisfy rising demand for selected cuts of pork.

Some developing countries are also meat exporters. Exports of lower priced beef from India and Brazil to a number of low- and middle-income countries are expected to account for nearly two-thirds of the projected increase in world beef exports in 2013-22.

Demand for Livestock Feed Also Expands

The expansion of livestock production in feed-deficit countries continues to be a major driver of trade in coarse grain and protein meal, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Larger and more effectively managed livestock production facilities and improved feeding practices have played a large role in the growing dominance of corn in international feed grain markets. Ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, are capable of digesting a broad range of feedstuffs, making demand sensitive to prices across alternate feed sources. However, the shift of pork and poultry production to larger and more modern operations will likely result in the use of higher quality feed, boosting demand for corn and soybean meal.

Coarse grain consumption in developing countries is projected to increase by 22 percent and account for 82 percent of the gain in world coarse grain consumption over the next decade. To meet this demand, imports by developing countries are projected to increase 34 percent and account for 93 percent of the growth in coarse grain imports worldwide....

http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2013-august/developing-countrie...

Pakistanis to sacrifice over 10 million animals this Eid

https://www.geo.tv/latest/114495-Pakistanis-to-sacrifice-over-10-mi...

Muslims in Pakistan celebrating Eid-ul-Azha will sacrifice over 10 million animals this year, officials at the Tanners' Association said on Monday.

According to Gulzar Feroz, the central chairman at the Tanners' Association, more than 2.7 million cows/bulls, four million goats, 800,000 lambs, and up to 30,000 camels will be sacrificed this year.

He said that the hides of cows/bulls were expected to fetch a price of Rs1,600 in the market, while goat hides would fetch a market price of Rs250 each.

He said that hides of sacrificial animals fetched a total of Rs8 billion last Eid, but due to fall in prices this year, hides of sacrificial animals are expected to fetch around Rs7 billion this year.

Online sales of sacrificial animals

http://www.dawn.com/news/1205318

A trader at a leading online portal hopes to sell 100,000 sacrificial animals this year, up from 75,000 last year and 67,000 a year before that

Traders are frequenting between Karachi and the rural areas of Sindh or Punjab with greater ease and are bringing in truckloads of sacrificial animals to the city’s main market on Super Highway.

The cut in petroleum prices effective from September 1 has also come as a blessing for them, as they believe that it will help them contain the cost of transporting animals from rural areas to city and town markets.

Meanwhile, the online sale of animals is also expected to rise. People at Qurbanionline.com say they hope to sell 100,000 animals this year, up from 75,000 last year and 67,000 a year before that. People can buy a goat via this online facility for $225 or about Rs23,000 and a cow for $710 (a little over Rs72,000).

The Al-Shaheer Corporation, which owns the Meat One brand, has also offered the facility of qurbani to its customers for Rs22,000 per goat and Rs99,000 per cow. The deal includes the delivery of meat.

Online services for buying sacrificial animals and for participating in collective sacrifices are offered by several other web portals as well. And young investors are also using OLX.com and similar websites to sell animals on a limited scale.

At Karachi’s main market on Super Highway and in some other markets across the city, the prices of goats and sheep of average height and weight ranged between Rs20,000-30,000 and between Rs15,000-Rs25,000 respectively (till last Tuesday). Meanwhile, cows and calves of average height and weight were priced at Rs60,000-Rs100,000.

The welfare arms of political parties and charities have set their rates for goats at Rs15,000-Rs20,000 and for cows and calves at Rs49,000-Rs72,000 depending upon the size and weight of the animals and the places where the collective sacrifice would take place.

“Animal prices for end-buyers may rise further as Eid-ul-Azha gets closer. But investors would earn no big profits this year,” says a Karachi-based livestock broker who booked 300 cows and bulls in Bahawalpur and 300 goats in Tando Adam in the last week of June.

“I made bookings at an average rate of 60,000 per cow or calf and Rs12,000 per goat and the prices also covered the upkeep and grazing charges for three months,” he told this writer. He said half of the total price of all animals was paid at the time of booking and the remaining 50pc is being paid per truckload of animals on their arrival in Karachi.

This investor is expecting a maximum 30pc return on his investment (Rs22.5m paid as 50pc of the total price of animals in June), which works out at 10pc per month. Since the remaining 50pc price would be paid out of the money he is receiving from local traders, the 10pc net monthly return would not be diluted. “But then it’s not too big, as I have earned higher returns in previous years.”

He represents a class of investment-hoppers, charities, once-a-year-formed groups of crowd financers, NGOs, online traders, and the welfare arms of political parties and religious seminaries. They book sacrificial animals several months before Eid-ul-Azha and earn better returns on their investment owing to lower animal prices due to their bulk forward buying.

No credible estimate is available about such investment, but it certainly runs into tens of billions of rupees.

People had spent Rs350-400bn on purchasing sacrificial animals last year, according to a conservative estimate based on the post-Eid collection of hides and skins (7.4m reported by tanneries but close to 10m by other guesstimates). This year, such spending is expected to remain either unchanged or rise modestly, say sources associated with the cattle trade.

Meanwhile, individual animal-selling arguably fetches higher returns because it is at this stage that the animals are categorised not only by their weight and size but also by their breed or looks, with their prices set accordingly.

#Pakistan Fauji #Meat begins commercial operations to export 100 tons of #halal meat daily

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1296723/fauji-fertilizer-bin-qasim-limi...

KARACHI: Fauji Meat Limited – a subsidiary of Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL) – officially commenced commercial operations of its meat processing and export business on Monday.

FFBL, Group GM Finance/CEO Syed Aamir Ahsan, said the firm kick started the operations in April 2016 and booked sales revenue close to an estimate of Rs1 billion in the first nine months (April-December 2016).

“The revenue would touch Rs16-20 billion in the next 1-2 years,” Ahsan told The Express Tribune on the sidelines of inaugural ceremony of the abattoir in Bin Qasim, Karachi.

This is one of the world’s largest meat processing and exporting plant established at a cost of $75 million.

The abattoir and meat processing facility has a daily production capacity of 100 tons of meat (85 tons of beef and 15 tons of mutton) in frozen and chilled categories for worldwide export.

“You, perhaps, may not find such a big plant across the world,” said Ahsan. “This year {2017}, we will fully utilise the installed capacity,” he said.

“Our quality and processing is not less than anyone in the world,” he said. He said FML would also introduce its quality products at local markets.

FFBL’s share price increased 1.24%, or Rs0.67, and closed at Rs54.29 with 5.39 million shares changing hands at the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday. The increase in price was attributed to restoration of subsidy on fertilisers.

Present, future exports

The plant is currently serving the GCC region (Kuwait and UAE) and China, and is in the process of obtaining formal approval for export of meat to Russia, MENA region and Central Asia.

Iran has given approval, while approvals from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Russia are in the pipeline. “We are confident that all these countries would approve during the years 2017-2018,” he said.

“The volume of sales of halal meat stands at $300 billion. Pakistan’s share in this is almost nil,” he said.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ latest data, the export of meat and meat preparations dropped 19% in dollar denomination to $87.56 million during July-November 2016 from $108.10 million in the same period last year.

It decreased 25.19% quantity-wise to 23,107 tons in the said five months.

Pakistan has been endowed with a large livestock population which includes cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat. It has a herd size of more than 60 million animals; one of the largest in the world.

Responding to a question, Ahsan said, production of 100-tons-a-day is a single-shift installed capacity. With the addition of another shift, the capacity can be doubled at a nominal investment.

The firm has engaged dozens of farmers to make quality breed available on a consistent and scientific basis.

Fauji Foundation Group Chairman Khalid Nawaz said the group started off with $0.2 million and now its annual turnover exceeds $1.5 billion, making it one of the largest business conglomerates in the country with interests in more than 18 industries and having a diverse investment portfolio.

Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2017; 37(3): 329–341.
Published online 2017 Jun 30. doi: 10.5851/kosfa.2017.37.3.329
PMCID: PMC5516059
An Insight of Meat Industry in Pakistan with Special Reference to Halal Meat: A Comprehensive Review
Muhammad Sohaib* and Faraz Jamil1


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5516059/

In Pakistan, per capita use of meat is around 32 kg as compared to developed world, where per capita meat consumption reached to 93 kg as lead by Australia followed by USA. Accordingly, during the last few years, modern slaughter houses and processing facilities are established in Pakistan. These plants are mainly located across Lahore and Karachi, having capacity to produce processed meat products. Currently, Pakistan meat industry is producing variety of meat products including traditional and western style like kabab, kofta, fillings for samosas, mince products, nuggets, burger patties, sausages, and tender pops etc (Noor, 2015). Moreover, given the increased concern of food safety and a shift to modern meat processing methods, the meat product businesses are experiencing further integration (Kristensen et al., 2014). Furthermore, the size of slaughter houses and meat processing companies has also been raising leading intensification and more variety of meat products. The slaughtering and meat processing technologies for poultry and livestock has seen momentous changes. The conventional techniques of “one knife to kill”, one blade to remove hair/skin and one weighing balance to trade meat” has disappeared significantly in large-scale productions, shifting to mechanized slaughter houses, refined cuts according to consumer demand, chilled-chain distribution and regulated selling of meat and meat products (Troy et al., 2016).

--------

Pakistan per capita meat consumption in 2000 was 11.7 kg that was increased to 13.8 and 14.7 kg in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Additionally, current per capita meat consumption has reached to 32 kg that is further expected to reach 47 kg by 2020 (Table 1). However, urbanization, economic growth, industrialization as well as eating pattern resulting increased per capita meat in the future years that will also generates higher demand for meat and allied products (Chartsbin, 2017). The dietary awareness to population has also played key role in shifting preferences to consume meat and its products. Pakistan having rich traditions and cultural festivities is also adding more demand for meat and meat products during whole year and this demand further rises significantly during festive season. To cope up this growing demand, government as well as meat industry are now concentrating to meet requirements by providing sufficient, healthy and quality produce, both fresh and processed products (GOP, 2016). Furthermore, consumer awareness is pushing meat industry and regulating agencies to keep an eye on quality of meat, safety assurance, animal health and welfare as well as precise traceability (Steinfeld et al., 2006).

#Pakistan all set to enter #China’s $15 billion #meat market. Currently, meat from Pakistan is exported to Gulf #Arab countries, #Vietnam and #Malaysia. #livestock https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/478010-pakistan-all-set-to-enter-c...

Pakistan is all set to venture into the $12 to 15 billion China’s meat market under the two agreements recently signed with the neighbouring country, the food minister said on Wednesday.


The two countries signed two agreements on agricultural cooperation and foot and mouth disease (FMD) free zone during a three days visit (26 to 28 May) of Chinese president to Pakistan.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Mehboob Sultan said the country would move from stage two to stage three towards the control and eradication of FMD by developing FMD free zones in Pakistan.

“This would also open big markets of China and Indonesia for Pakistan meat,” Sultan told media.

China’s annual meat requirement is worth $12 to 15 billion. Currently, meat from Pakistan is exported to Gulf countries, Vietnam and Malaysia.

“The government is focusing on expanding the Pakistan’s meat market and this five years agreement with China will help us achieve the desired results not only in the meat market but in agriculture sector and will be mutually beneficial,” the food minister added.

The purpose of China-Pakistan’s agreement is the establishment of FMD free zone where vaccination would be practiced.

The FMD free zone will be constructed within the territory of Pakistan according to the agreed common requirements of the parties, and the Chinese side would provide technical assistance and support.

Currently, China is the 4th biggest export market of Pakistan. Agriculture is a vital industry in China, employing over 300 million farmers. Despite accounting for only 10 percent of arable land worldwide, it

produces food for 20 percent of the world’s population. Pakistani government is also expecting to get an opportunity to cooperate with China in the field of agriculture at the platform provided by Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

China is further likely to lift three years long ban on import of Pakistani rapeseed meal into China once a protocol proposed by the Chinese government would be signed.

The framework agreement on agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and China would be executed and implemented through the ministry of national food security and research of Pakistan and ministry of agricultural and rural affairs of China.

The agreement holds an important position in the backdrop of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework and promotes cooperation in the areas of mutual interest in the field of agriculture.

The goals set in the agricultural framework agreement would be achieved in next five years and would cover extension services of agricultural technology and inputs, remote sensing and geographical information system and food processing and pre-and-post-harvest handling.

The agreement also covers storage of agricultural produce, genetic resources of crops, livestock and poultry, selection and breeding of new breeds of animals and new varieties of plants, feed fisheries and aquaculture, research and development of new high-yield varieties, precision agriculture and pest and disease control.

As of 2017, Pakistan is the world's 9th largest meat producing country.

Pakistan produced 1.87 million tons of meat in 2017, accounting for 2.89% of global meat production.

Here's the top 10 list:

1. US (12 million tons), 2. Brazil (9.5 million tons) , 3. EU (7.87 million tons) , 4. China (7 million tons), 5. India (4.25 million tons) , 6. Argentina (2.6 million tons), 7. Australia (2 million tons) , 8. Mexico (1.91 million tons) , 9. Pakistan (1.78 million tons) , 10. Turkey (1.7 million tons)

http://www.thedailyrecords.com/2018-2019-2020-2021/world-famous-top...