KARACHI: Pakistan’s authorities has unveiled a sweeping transformation plan for its livestock and meat business, focusing on export revenues of practically $700 million by 2028 because it seeks to parlay a 250-million-strong animal inhabitants into a serious driver of agricultural progress.
The initiative, detailed within the Financial Survey of Pakistan 2025-26, goals to construct disease-free, traceable and export-oriented meat provide chains, backed by a newly shaped apex council chaired by the prime minister and comprising the chief ministers of all 4 provinces.
Exports on the Rise
Pakistan’s meat exports have greater than doubled over the previous decade, climbing from $196 million in 2015 to roughly $427 million in 2024. Shipments in fiscal 12 months 2025 topped $500 million for the primary time. Even so, the nation’s share of worldwide meat exports stays beneath 1.0 %, a spot officers say represents vital untapped potential.
Below the transformation technique, the sector is focused to develop at roughly 6 % yearly, with exports projected to achieve $700 million by 2028.
To steer implementation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted the Nationwide Meat Transformation and Export Council. The physique’s mandate contains approving nationwide roadmaps and annual motion plans, setting manufacturing and disease-control targets, harmonizing federal and provincial laws, and conducting quarterly progress opinions.
Pakistan has moved aggressively to open new export locations in 2025-26. Authorities have pursued registration of slaughterhouses and dairy firms with the Common Administration of Customs of China, whereas facilitating the registration of latest exporters with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Uzbekistan.
Technical dossiers assembly import necessities have been submitted to Russia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore. Pakistan additionally secured sanitary equivalence standing with Azerbaijan, clearing the best way for meat and dairy exports to that market.
Sector’s Financial Weight
Livestock accounts for 62.4 % of agriculture’s whole worth addition and contributes 14.6 % of Pakistan’s GDP in 2025-26. The sector’s gross worth addition rose from Rs 6,004 billion in fiscal 12 months 2025 to Rs 6,229 billion in fiscal 12 months 2026, a achieve of three.75 %.
Greater than 8 million rural households rely on livestock for 35 to 40 % of their earnings.
To draw personal funding, the federal government plans to ascertain devoted export meat-processing zones and disease-free compartments for Foot-and-Mouth Illness, Peste des Petits Ruminants, Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza and different economically vital ailments.
Fashionable slaughterhouses assembly worldwide requirements and time-limited monetary help schemes for traders are additionally within the pipeline.
Breed enchancment options prominently within the technique. The federal government intends to import high-yielding unique dairy, beef and mutton breeds together with genetic supplies together with sexed semen, ova and embryos and to broaden synthetic insemination providers nationwide.
Poultry a Brilliant Spot
Pakistan’s poultry sector has emerged as one of many fastest-growing segments of the agricultural financial system, posting a median annual progress fee of 8.1 % over the previous decade and contributing Rs 999 billion in gross worth addition in 2025-26.
The nation now ranks because the world’s Eleventh-largest poultry producer, with the sector supplying roughly 43 % of whole home meat manufacturing and using greater than 1.5 million individuals.
Business officers warning, nonetheless, that illness outbreaks, excessive feed prices and market volatility stay persistent challenges that have to be addressed to maintain long-term progress.
