'Meat export industry growing with ratio of 30pc '

LAHORE: The meat export industry in Pakistan is growing with a ratio of 30 percent every year and it can be further increased by proper processing.

The Head of Meat and Nutrition of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Dr Muhammad Hayat Jaspal told APP here on Sunday.

He said Pakistan had captured successfully the regional market of Middle East despite top beef exporting countries. However, to enter an emerging market of China and Malaysia, the meat sector of Pakistan would have to act more scientifically and technically.

He said in 2005 Pakistan's meat exports were about US$ 29 million while in 2015 were US$ 243.5 million . The meat export industry is annually growing at 30 percent.

Meat retail sector of the country had also changed its shape within last decade and with increasing interest of consumers in high value hygienic meat primal cuts and meat products, more players were entering the retail sector.

To play a role by the UVAS in development of meat industry, the UVAS had established department of Meat Science and Technology (MST) which was first of its kind in Pakistan,he claimed.

The department has started its activities with main objectives of education and training of students /industry related people to cater needs of meat processing industry through improving quality and hygiene standards of meat and its products in the country. The Department of Meat Science and Technology has established a small scale meat processing plant and processing laboratory at UVAS Lahore campus. Main purposes of this processing plant was to training/educate students according to requirements of industry,he added.

The department has recently signed an MOU with Punjab Agriculture Meat Company (PAMCO) for conducting student demonstration and research.

A high tech Meat Quality and Analytical lab is going to be established at UVAS Ravi Campus in near future.

The Department of Meat Science and Technology is teaching several undergraduate courses in both red meat and poultry processing areas. However, industry requires experts in this field in order to deal with the complex biochemistry of the meat, he said.

Appreciating the market need of time, challenges in the field and demand of the industry, Department of Meat Science and Technology had introduced a new post graduate MPhil degree programme as no such degree was currently being offered by any other institute in the country, he said.