Business

Wednesday November 11, 2009

Pakistan seeks Malaysia’s expertise in halal meat

By TEH ENG HOCK


LAHORE: Pakistan is seeking Malaysia’s expertise to tap the billion dollar meat market in the Middle East.

Pakistan’s Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Department secretary Mohammad Jehanzeh Khan said Pakistan had plenty of potential but lacked the expertise and technology to slaughter, process and market meat commercially.

“Right now, the export (of meat) to the Middle East is worth US$70mil. With the right expertise and technology, we can hit US$500mil in two to three years. The Chief Minister thinks we can go up to US$2bil.

“Middle East has strong purchasing power, and Malaysia and Pakistan can work together to target the region,” he told a Malaysian media delegation here.

Pakistan has 60 million cattle, 55 million goats and sheep, and 30 million buffaloes. Besides exporting meat to Middle East, Pakistan also exports live animals to Central Asia.

Jehanzeh said he would be hosting a government-led Malaysian delegation later this month to further develop the idea.

He said Malaysia was familiar with processing meat using halal methods. “With halal slaughtering plants, the machinery will make it more efficient. And Malaysia has done well with halal certification,” he said.

He added that with a 97% Muslim population, Pakistan did not conduct halal certification of its meat, and this could have deterred some countries from importing its meat.

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