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National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research Reviews Challenges Facing Pakistan’s Livestock Sector

Tuesday, 1st September, 2026
The 30th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research was held on Tuesday, 1st September 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the Committee Room of the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Syed Hussain Tariq, MNA.
The proceedings commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting.
 
The Committee considered Agenda Item No. IV regarding the key challenges facing Pakistan’s livestock sector, particularly the cattle, poultry, and dairy segments, and measures for their effective and sustainable resolution in light of the National Dialogue on Harnessing Pakistan’s Livestock Potential, held at the Prime Minister’s Office, Islamabad.
 
Representatives of the livestock sector briefed the Committee on the major constraints affecting the sector, including high production and input costs, taxation and heavy duties, limited subsidies and access to soft loans, under-utilization of local inputs, inadequate mechanization, and challenges relating to breed improvement. The Committee directed the Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, to examine these issues in consultation with the relevant federal and provincial authorities and take appropriate measures to reduce production costs, improve access to affordable financing, promote local inputs, facilitate mechanization, and strengthen breed improvement programmes.
 
The representatives also apprised the Committee of difficulties concerning the availability and import of essential veterinary medicines, machinery, equipment, and technologies, particularly where such items are not adequately available locally. They also pointed out the need for an effective regulatory framework for veterinary pharmaceuticals and responsible use of antibiotics in accordance with international standards and SOPs. The Committee directed the Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, to coordinate with the relevant authorities for appropriate facilitation of essential imports, strengthening of veterinary pharmaceutical regulation, and ensuring prudent use of antibiotics in line with international best practices.
 
Regarding exports, the representatives highlighted trade barriers, negative lists, import bans and other restrictions imposed by importing countries, as well as inadequate market identification, limited international exposure, and lack of competitiveness. They stressed the need for export-quality production, compliance with international standards, greater value addition, and improved access to international markets. The Committee directed the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, to pursue the removal or mitigation of trade barriers with relevant authorities and trading partners, identify potential international markets, and develop measures to enhance Pakistan’s competitiveness and exports of livestock, dairy, and poultry products.
 
The Committee was further informed that livestock is primarily a provincial subject following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, requiring effective coordination among federal and provincial institutions. The Committee directed the Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, to ensure coordination with the provincial governments and relevant institutions on livestock-sector development, while export and trade-related matters were to be pursued by the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce within the Ministry’s mandate.
 
To improve trade facilitation, the representatives proposed one-window operations and export facilitation centres, along with fast-tracking of official, regulatory, and codal formalities. The Committee directed the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, to examine the feasibility of such mechanisms and take appropriate measures to simplify and expedite export-related procedures.
The Committee also directed the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, to enhance Pakistan’s international market exposure through trade fairs, exhibitions, trade missions, and business-to-business engagements, with a focus on identifying new markets and buyers for livestock, dairy, and poultry products.
 
The Committee underscored the need for coordinated, practical, and time-bound measures to address the challenges brought before it by representatives of the livestock sector and to harness Pakistan’s potential as a competitive and export-oriented livestock producer. It emphasized that focused interventions in production, animal health, breed improvement, mechanization, value addition, trade facilitation, and international market access would contribute to increased productivity, improved farmers’ incomes, and enhanced livestock exports.
 
The meeting was attended by Hon. Members Waseem Qadir, Abdul Qadir Khan, Syed Javed Ali Shah Jillani, Syed Abrar Ali Shah, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, and Sanjay Perwani. Senior officials from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Ministry of Commerce, along with representatives of the livestock sector, also attended the meeting.