Livestock is an integral part of the agriculture sector of Pakistan and it has potential to get huge share in the international Halal trade of over $ 300 billion. The government should formulate favorable policies for livestock which have 55.9 percent and 11.8 percent share in agriculture and GDP respectively.
LCCI President Malik Tahir Javid exchanged these views while heading a delegation to the Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company's (PAMCO) sate-of-the-art slaughterhouse, and PAMCO Chairman Mumtaz Khan Manais. The Chairman PAMCO gave detailed briefing to the LCCI delegation about PAMCO's efforts and sought its help for promotion of halal exports. The PAMCO has engaged itself to enhance quality production, processing, value addition, marketing and supply chain of meat, livestock, agriculture products and by-products for local and export markets, he added.
He said the company is providing trainings and technical backstopping at all stages of the integrated meat and agriculture value chains. He informed that 6000 small and 600 big animals are being slaughtered daily at the PAMCO's slaughterhouse while meat is being processed hygienically by latest technology and modern machinery.
The LCCI President said that livestock is the biggest economic activity in rural areas and major source of women empowerment. He said that livestock sector is producing its own energy by biogas. The government should join head with private sector to secure huge share in international halal trade. He said the demand of meat in the world would double in the next two decades and Pakistan has all resources to become a global leader in this particular sector.
The halal food has become billions of dollars global economy wherein Pakistan's share is still insignificant, he added. It is high time for Pakistan's economy to get a boost not by getting aids from foreign countries but by exploiting the untapped potential of halal food that has created a brand new global halal economy in the world.
Malik Tahir Javid said that today a much bigger share of Halal business is in the hands of non-Muslims and they are utilizing the halal brand to their economic benefit. "The total worth of global halal trade is well over dollar 300 billion. If Pakistan is able to attain only 10 percent share of this trade, we can expand our exports easily by dollar 30 billion. It is high time that all the public and private sectors organizations should work hand in hand to materialize this objective," the LCCI President added.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.