Pakistan is producing 34 million tons milk annually and is considered among the top ten milk producers in the world, but exports of dairy products are negligible as milk production is the least commercialized enterprise in our agriculture sector, therefore government should encourage dairy sector entrepreneurs to explore markets for dairy products which offer good potential of enhancing exports. This was stated by Mian Shaukat Masud, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a meeting at ICCI. He said in these difficult times of global recession and economic meltdown, the best option of enhancing foreign exchange earnings is to bring significant diversification in exports other than textile to get legitimate share in the international dairy products markets.

Mian Shaukat Masud said there is much scope for Pakistan to capture a big share in international market for dairy products. He said currently many Islamic countries, especially countries of middle east, are exporting milk and other dairy products from Denmark and Holland and these countries can be our potential markets. He stressed for the need of luring foreign investors with technical expertise and funds to invest in Pakistan to further develop our dairy sector so that export of milk by-products could be increased either in fresh or in powered form. He said Pakistan has also good potential to provide ample Halal meat to Muslim countries as the country has a huge land bank, plenty of cattle heads like sheep, goats, cows, buffaloes and camels as well as the manpower to meet the potential needs of investors and entrepreneurs. He said for this purpose, government should provide support and incentives to foreign investors to invest in animal husbandry farms as joint ventures. He said there is a need to establish large milk processing plants for enhancing the production of processed milk as much of the traded milk is marketed unprocessed. He called for active participation of public/private enterprise in dairy sector to ensure competitive and sustainable dairy products exports.

ICCI President urged upon the government to take immediate steps to resolve dairy sector problems as this sector holds high promise as a dependable source of livelihood for the majority of the population. He said by improving quality of dairy products at affordable cost, country can greatly enhance their acceptance in international markets. He said for establishing and maintaining a level playing field for all stakeholders in dairy sector, government should properly coordinate and regulate the activities of various organizations engaged in dairy development. He said given the country’s rich and diverse landscape, Pakistan has good potential to serve the GCC and Middle East at large and exploit export potential of its agro-based sector.  He said comparative advantage in agriculture will give Pakistan an edge in the development of agro-based industry, value-addition chains and processing and packaging of products and offer huge potential for growth and investment.