Pakistan approves halal meat export policy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved the Halal Meat Export Policy and directed authorities to present a comprehensive three-year strategy within two weeks to boost the country’s halal meat exports.

Presiding over a meeting on meat export policy and sectoral reforms, the prime minister said a coordinated approach involving relevant federal ministries and provincial governments was essential to significantly increase Pakistan’s share in the halal meat markets of Muslim countries as well as globally.

He instructed the committee formed to enhance halal meat exports to submit practical and achievable proposals to improve livestock production, cold storage facilities, and other related infrastructure.

The prime minister also directed authorities to adopt special measures to increase halal meat production in line with international standards and to ensure competitiveness with regional producers.

Emphasising the need for organised production centres, Shehbaz Sharif said closer cooperation between federal and provincial governments was urgently required to improve both the quantity and nutritional value of halal meat.

He noted that Pakistan had considerable potential to expand its export share in the global halal meat market and assured full government support for international certification of slaughterhouses and bilateral registrations with importing countries.

The prime minister further stressed the importance of ensuring disease-free conditions and maintaining international-standard hygiene practices at slaughterhouses across the country.

He directed that a business model for increasing halal meat exports be developed by adopting globally recognised best practices.

During the briefing, the prime minister was informed that Pakistan’s total halal meat production stands at around 6 million metric tons, and after meeting domestic demand, a significant surplus is available for export.