September 26, 2014
Pakistan now 11th largest broiler poultry producer
Pakistan is currently the 11th largest broiler chicken producer in the world, said Sikandar Hayyat Bosan, the country's federal minister for food security, during an inaugural session of the International Poultry Expo 2014 at the Lahore Expo Center.
In addition, the local poultry industry is worth over US$7 billion which possess a 1.7% share of the national GDP, according to Pakistan Poultry Association's (PPA) Northern Zone chairman, Raza Khursand.
Currently, about 1.5 million people were involved with the industry.
Bosan said that the sector has been expanding at a rate of 10% annually for the last several years and possess 6.1% and 10.8% shares in the agricultural and livestock sectors, respectively.
With Pakistan declared free of bird flu by the OIE, Bosan believes that the country has significant export potential of poultry products due to its strategic location.
According to the minister, while Brazil is the largest exporter of halal chicken to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has the capabilities to venture into the market. Pakistan's poultry industry can also meet halal chicken meat demands from Gulf countries, a potential market of US$4 billion.
On other developments, Bosan revealed the modernisation of the local poultry sector with the establishment of 6,500 environmentally controlled sheds.
Also, the Pakistani government has given concessions on the import of certain raw material for poultry feed, despite outstanding issues.
Pakistan's progress as a poultry producer is not without its problems; as highlighted by the president of the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA), Dr Muhammad Aslam, farmers were bearing a loss of US$0.29/kg due to the low cost of poultry.
Demanding government support to enable the sector to export production,
Dr Aslam said that the industry had previously attempted to secure a market in Afghanistan but was barred from export by the judiciary.
With the industry creating 50,000 new jobs every year, the official suggests that the government should activate the Federal Poultry Board which was inactive for many years.
