January 9, 2014

Saudi Arabia expresses interest in Pakistani beef

Saudi Arabia may become the next big market of Pakistani beef as Saudis like the taste of Pakistani red meat, the president of the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, Abdullah Al-Dubaikhi said.

The company's president praised the quality of Pakistani meats, which he said, depends on the quality of the feed given to the animal. He added that Pakistan uses almost the same feed as Saudi Arabia.

The event was organised by the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade as part of an effort to promote bilateral trade in the food sector. The acting chief executive officer of the Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company, Mumtaz Khan Manais, told the participants that his company has developed state-of-the-art slaughterhouses.

Welcoming the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company's intention to invest in the production of red meat Pakistan, he said there is abundant production of red meat in Pakistan. Pakistan could also export camel meat to Saudi Arabia, he said.

He said that the Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company desires to establish a traceable meat value chain that will provide greater information regarding the exported meat.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade arranged a meeting between officials of the Rice Exporters Association Pakistan and the Saudi visitors.

Waseem Hayat Bajwa from the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company said that since most rice production and trade is conducted by the private sector, the private sector would play a vital role in ensuring the trade agreements between the Saudi company and Pakistani companies.