Advisor to the PM on Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, has confirmed via Twitter that ten Pakistani slaughterhouses have received approval from Egypt’s Veterinary Quarantine Department for exporting meat to Egypt.
“Congratulations to ten slaughterhouses from Pakistan which have been approved by the Egypt’s Veterinary Quarantine Department for export of meat to Egypt. This has been done as a result of [an] audit conducted by the Egyptian Veterinary authorities,” read Dawood’s tweet.
https://twitter.com/razak_dawood/status/1461593057170792451?t=nwYrlH2UB-spIwF36L6TEg&s=19
Prior to Dawood’s announcement, Egypt initially showed interest in importing meat from Pakistan in early 2020, when its Trade and Industry Ministry requested for an inspection of Pakistan’s abattoirs. During that time, the Egyptian Ministry conveyed its interest through the Pakistani Embassy’s Trade and Investment Section in Cairo.
In extension, the Egyptian Ministry also requested mutual coordination on the level of veterinary protocols in the fields of epidemiological investigation, training programs, search for epidemic disease, an early warning system, developing a protocol for veterinary quarantine, and optimal connectivity for the exchange of information.
According to the data available with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the total volume of meat production in Pakistan was 4,708 tonnes in 2019-20. Of this, 2,303 tonnes was beef, 748 tonnes mutton, and 1,657 tonnes of poultry.
Besides Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan approved three other Pakistani slaughterhouses for importing bovine, camel, sheep, and goat meat to Amman in late October.
It is noteworthy that Jordan and Egypt will be new and easy destinations for Pakistan’s unique meat produce. Research suggests Pakistan can easily make somewhere in the region of Rs. 90 billion per annum simply by exporting halal meat, as the global halal market is projected to expand beyond $3 trillion by 2024.
