August 27, 2018

Pakistan to increase poultry exports worthUS$40 million to UAE

In an attempt to be one of the top ten exporters of Middle Eastern markets, Pakistan will boost poultry product exports to the United Arab Emirate (UAE).

According to Pakistan Today, UAE is forecasted to import poultry products worth US$1.1 billion in 2018 and Pakistan targets a US$40 million share.

The decision was manifested during a meeting chaired by Younus Dagha, secretary of commerce, and attended by the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and officials from other ministries.

During the meeting, the PPA called for a reduction of import duties on machinery and equipment, sales tax and regulatory duty on poultry inputs. Dagha shared that the consideration for the demands would be expedited to facilitate boosting exports to the UAE market.

It was further decided in the meeting that a comparative chart of incentives given by other countries would be drawn to assess the negative impact on local industry and required tax relief.

14 units were approved for exports to the UAE. Nearly 70% of the exports were made by K&N, a local company, which has invested heavily in value-added products over the last few years.

The PPA also explained that if the issues of competitiveness were resolved rapidly, Pakistan could export up to US$200 million per year to the UAE alone.

With the massive demand for halal poultry products in the Middle East markets, the local industry is unable to compete internationally due to a high ratio of taxes in the country. Therefore the Middle East governments are looking for alternative international suppliers to meet the demand of poultry and poultry based products in the country.

In February of 2017, the UAE lifted the ban on poultry product imports from Pakistan after eight years and has allowed Pakistan to export day-old chicks and hatching eggs from the companies with attached health certificates from the ministry.
 

Source: Far Eastern Agriculture