ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Wednesday signed a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) on buffalo genetic resources, paving the way for the export of high-value buffalo genetic material from Pakistan to China and opening new opportunities for the country’s livestock sector.
The agreement was signed between the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) and the Royal Group of China. Animal Husbandry Commissioner Dr Syed Murtaza Hassan Andrabi and Derek Qin of the Royal Group of China signed the agreement.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and members of the Chinese delegation witnessed the signing ceremony.
Under the agreement, the Royal Group has established a state-of-the-art facility in Pakistan for the collection, processing, and export of buffalo genetic material, including embryos, semen, and sexed semen.
According to official estimates, China is expected to immediately import buffalo embryos worth around USD5 million from Pakistan. Annual exports of buffalo embryos, semen, and sexed semen are projected to reach approximately USD25 million, generating significant foreign exchange earnings and creating access to new international markets for Pakistan’s livestock industry.
According to the agreement, the genetic material transferred shall exclusively be used for the genetic improvement of the buffalo breed in China and shall not be used for commercial purposes to any third party (within and outside China) or for profit-making whatsoever. Commercial use includes but is not limited to sale, licensing, sublicensing, breeding for profit, export, incorporation into commercial breeding programs, or use that confers competitive or financial advantage, it says.
It says that genetic material or its derivatives accessed shall not be used for Genetic Modification or Genetic engineering within or outside the country without prior approval of the National Biosafety Committee, Technical Advisory Committee, and Institutional Biosafety Committee IBC-TAC-NBC under the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
It says that this agreement is non-assignable and non-transferable, and the recipient agrees to acknowledge the name, original identity, and source in all research publications brought out from the work carried out on this material.
Speaking on the occasion, Rana Tanveer Hussain said the agreement was the outcome of sustained diplomatic, technical, and regulatory efforts. He noted that Pakistan possesses some of the world’s finest buffalo breeds, particularly the Nili-Ravi breed, which is internationally recognized for its superior milk production and valuable genetic traits.
The minister said that MTA will help position Pakistani buffalo genetics as an internationally recognized brand while creating significant opportunities for livestock farmers, breeders, and researchers across the country. The MTA has signed to safeguard Pakistan’s national interests and sovereign rights over its genetic resources, he said, adding that MTA itself serves as a safeguard mechanism for Pakistan’s genetic resources, ensuring controlled access, regulated transfer, and protection against misuse or unauthorized exploitation.
He said the agreement ensures compliance with the principles of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Pakistan’s relevant legal framework governing access to genetic resources.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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