PAKISTAN MEAT INDUSTRY: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE MEAT SUPPLY CHAIN POTENTIAL
Authors: M. Tariq  
Published: July 2023

Meat is one of the major commodities with which food science is concerned. Meat is defined as flesh of animals used as food. The bulk of meat consumed in Pakistan is derived from goat, sheep, cattle, buffalo, camel, fish and poultry. The meat of poultry and fish is considered separately from the rest of meat. The meat of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and camel is an example of red meat.Meat (mainly beef) plays a more dominant role in Pakistani food, compared to other South Asian cuisines. It is reported that an average Pakistani consumes three times more meat than an average Indian. Per capita availability of meat in Pakistan is 19kg. Pakistan suffers in international markets as meat slaughtered in traditional abattoirs fails to meet international standards. Despite an increase in milk and meat production, the prices have moved upward abnormally. Exports of livestock, includingcows, buffaloes, sheep, and goats, are made to the Gulf States, Iran, and Afghanistan where there is a great demand for high-quality meat due to a lack of supply. The country, though rich in livestock, rarely got a chance to export meat or meat products to earn foreign exchange. It was offered an opportunity when various Middle East states stopped importing meat from European countries due to the incidence of the mad cow disease. The recent increase in meat prices is attributed to the export oflive animals or meat to the Middle East and Afghanistan. There was a time when animals used to be imported or smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan but after 9/11 the situation suddenly took a 'U' turn. The major constraints include non-availability of indigenous meat breeds, lack of proper animal husbandry practices, absence of modern abattoirs, meat processing plants and low priority by policy makers in the past as well. In meat marketing, the abattoirs are the production points and butcher’sshops are the only vending points to the consumers. The abattoirs are seriously lacking basic sanitation facilities (like light, adequate water supply, space for slaughtering and animal keeping, meat refrigeration, and disposal of offal) all over the country. A large portion of the by-products such as blood, glands, intestines, and bones are either wasted or poorly processed. The hygienic conditions of the slaughterhouses and meat shops are very poor. The flayers and butchers are also not professionallytrained. The fixing of prices of beef and mutton by local governments are serious obstacles in buying good quality animals for slaughtering. To meet the demand-supply gap of meat in Pakistan, the rate of growth must be at least 5 to 7% per annum. If Pakistan wants to continue meat and live animal export, besides meeting domestic demand, modern meat processing plants and livestock farms should be set up all over the country. Suggested program in this regard are: livestock production and development for meat production, development of feedlot fattening to maximize bio-economic and sustainable meatproduction and its value addition through meat processing and quality control.