- ‘Half of Malaysian meat demand is being fulfilled by Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, India, China and Thailand, which are all non-Muslim countries’
KARACHI: Economic Advisor to Malaysian Terengganu Province Haji Roslin Abdul Rehman has urged the business community of Pakistan to seriously look into the possibility of exporting meat to Malaysia.
“Half of the demand for meat in Malaysia is being fulfilled by Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, India, China and Thailand, which are all non-Muslim countries,” he said during his visit, as part of a Malaysian delegation, to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Friday. “It is lamentable that not a single container of meat is being imported from Pakistan despite the fact that both Muslim countries have been enjoying brotherly relations for many years.”
KCCI President Junaid Esmail Makda, Vice President Asif Sheikh Javaid, Diplomatic Missions and Embassies Liaison Subcommittee Chairman Shamoon Zaki and former vice president Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan were also present on the occasion.
The Malaysian economic advisor said that Pakistani meat exporters must collaborate with the Malaysian business community to effectively penetrate into the Malaysian market.
Referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Malaysia, he informed that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad would also be visiting Pakistan in March and he would be accompanied by Malaysian religion and agriculture ministers, who may endorse any Pakistani slaughterhouse or any meat processing factory intending to export meat to Malaysia.
He suggested that Pakistan and Malaysia could develop a joint global brand for the export of Halal meat while Pakistani business community could also export timber products, seafood, fruits and vegetables to Malaysia.
Speaking on the occasion, KCCI President Junaid Esmail Makda assured the Malaysian delegates that KCCI would encourage exporters to dispatch meat to Malaysia and would also carry out a study to examine and identify the irritants responsible for zero export of meat from Pakistan to Malaysia.
“Any irritant identified during the study, which might be hindering meat trade between Pakistan and Malaysia, would certainly be brought to the notice of the Federal Ministry of Commerce with a request to take steps for resolving the same to facilitate the exports of meat to Malaysia,” he added.
The KCCI president said that the meat industry of Pakistan entered the world markets a long time ago, as its red meat is in great demand in the many countries, particularly Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries.
“The production of quality meat is directly linked with livestock being produced in Pakistan. With agriculture as its backbone, Pakistan is said to be the fifth largest livestock producer in the world,” he added.
Referring to economic relations, Junaid Makda said that both countries share healthy bilateral relations based on cooperation in different economic spheres, particularly in trade and investment. “In 2017, goods exported to Malaysia were merely $166.48 million while the imports were recorded at $1,167.13 million, indicating trade balance in favour of Malaysia by $1 billion,” he noted.
The KCCI president said that his chamber wanted to strengthen trade ties by exploring new bilateral trade prospects in Malaysia.
“We believe in enhancing trade with brotherly countries like Malaysia which would ensure prosperity and create a win-win situation for both the countries,” he remarked, adding that Malaysian companies in this regard could choose between setting up a liaison office, branch office or incorporate a Pakistani company as either its wholly owned subsidiary or joint venture.
He opined that there was a huge potential for joint ventures and investment in the areas of Islamic finance, Halal food industries, energy, low-cost housing, infrastructure development, telecommunications and education etc.
