ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif on Monday approved a plan to increase livestock exports by importing high-yield breeds, raising them at specialised farms and then exporting them.

He also approved restructuring the livestock sector along corporate lines and preparing and implementing reforms with the help of private-sector experts.

The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by the prime minister to review ongoing reforms in the livestock sector.

“Specialised farms should be established for livestock exports,” the prime minister directed.

Seeks duty-free breed imports, value-chain upgrade

He said high-breed, high-yield livestock should be imported and raised at these farms for export, and ordered that imports of livestock for the specialised farms be exempted from duties.

To ensure that livestock raised at these farms is exported, he said, a modern animal-tagging system should be introduced.

He also directed that the livestock sector be reorganised along corporate lines to modernise it and that the private sector’s expertise be utilised for reforms.

More than 60 per cent of Pakistan’s agricultural sector is based on livestock, which has significant export potential, the prime minister noted.

He directed authorities to prepare and submit within two weeks a roadmap with specific targets for eliminating foot-and-mouth disease from the country.

He also ordered international certification of slaughterhouses across the country and third-party validation to ensure compliance with international standards.

The Ministry of National Food Security and Research should work with provincial governments to eliminate livestock diseases, he said.

The premier directed authorities to improve the entire value chain to further develop meat and livestock exports and ordered that targets for exports of meat, livestock and related products be prepared and submitted.

The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the livestock sector and proposals were presented for its development and increasing exports.

Officials told the meeting that Pakistan has around 245 million livestock animals with a combined value of about Rs5.5 trillion ($19.6 billion). The livestock sector accounts for 14.97pc of the national economy and 63.6pc of the agricultural economy, while annual production stands at about 74.69m tonnes of milk and 6.31m tonnes of meat. Around 8m rural households are associated with livestock, the meeting was told. However, small-scale livestock farming and fragmented supply chains remain obstacles to fully exploiting the sector’s export potential.

Pakistan has significant room to increase meat exports, officials said. Meat exports stood at around $530m in 2025-26, with the bulk going to Gulf markets including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, China and other countries offer significant potential as new and expanded export markets, the meeting was told.

The government has taken several measures to boost livestock and meat exports, including a national programme for animal disease surveillance, prevention and traceability; establishment of foot-and-mouth disease-free zones and compartments; vaccination and digital disease surveillance; export-grade farms; and international health and halal certification systems.

The government is also focusing on feedlot farming, cold-chain infrastructure, deboning, value-added products and export infrastructure, officials said.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026