ISLAMABAD: First shipment of Pakistani fresh meat has successfully reached United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday.

According to private TV news channel, the shipment was sent as per agreement signed between Pakistan’s Foodex and UAE’s General Trading Company. Pakistan’s Additional Commercial Secretary Kamran Khan was also present on the occasion.

Earlier, UAE and Pakistani businessmen had signed deals worth nearly $200 million (Dh734 million) during the Expo Pakistan 2017 which was held in Karachi on November 9-12.    

The UAE-based company Al-Tayeb International General Trading and Foodex Pakistan had reached an agreement on the import of Pakistani meat during the Expo Pakistan 2017.   

Pakistan is the fifth largest exporter of fresh meat and meat products to UAE with an average annual export of around $100 million.    

Whereas, UAE's total imports of fresh meat, beef, mutton and lamb etc. is around $750 to 800 million. There is a huge potential for Pakistani meat in UAE market, said Kamran Khan, Commercial Secretary, Embassy of Pakistan, Abu Dhabi.   

He said the demand is partly due to the presence of 1.5 million Pakistani diaspora in UAE, but mainly because of the halal characteristics and nutritional value of the Pakistani meat and meat products.   

Commenting on the issues faced by meat exporters, he explained that majority of the fresh meat shipments are airlifted from Pakistan due to delays in sea shipments which raises the cost rendering Pakistani products less competitive in terms of price.   

Khan said that the Embassy of Pakistan has taken up the matter with relevant authorities in Pakistan to introduce a specialised fast speed cargo vessel between Karachi and UAE to reduce transit time and cost.    

This would not only help our meat exporters but would also enable exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables to ship perishable items through sea at a reduced cost. APP