Meat export to Malaysia: Call for formation of WG to finalise report

ISLAMABAD: An inter-ministerial committee on Tuesday called for the formation of a Working Group (WG) to finalise a report on the meat export to Malaysia.

Federal Minister for Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan, chaired the 3rd Meeting of the Committee on Pakistan-Malaysia Cooperation on meat export from Pakistan, emphasizing the need to strengthen Pakistan’s meat export sector and ensure competitive pricing in the Malaysian market.

The meeting also stressed that all stakeholders, including the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, should be consulted to achieve the target of 200 million dollars in meat exports.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Food Security, Rana Tanvir Hussain, and SAPM Haroon Akhtar Khan. The committee focused on reviewing strategies for meat exports to Malaysia, with particular attention to costs, competitiveness, and supply chain logistics for both buffalo and cow meat. Officials discussed CNF (Cost & Freight) pricing, comparative cost analysis with India, and the need to maintain Pakistan’s market competitiveness while ensuring quality standards from farm to slaughterhouse.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of selecting buffaloes within the 14–18-month age group to meet Malaysia’s market requirements and addressed challenges related to market fluctuations, pricing, and incentives for private sector participants to maintain a sustainable export model. Technical efficiency improvements at farms and slaughterhouses, including electricity costs, technology upgrades, and operational efficiency, were also reviewed to optimize production.

The committee concluded that long-term cooperation with Malaysia, supported by a combination of government assistance and active private sector engagement, is essential to reduce costs, increase production efficiency, and meet the competitive standards of the Malaysian meat market.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025