LAHORE – Punjab will export one million livestock following Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed with seven entities, including a Chinese global meat company, under initiatives led by Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Under the agreements, the Chinese company in collaboration with PAMCO will establish a boiler unit in Punjab to support large-scale preparation of boiled meat for export. Meat companies will import meat from approximately 300,000 animals for export purposes, while a structured programme has been launched for fattening 300,000 buffaloes and cattle, along with 300,000 sheep and rams, and rearing 100,000 goats and sheep specifically for export.
The CM has also directed the establishment of modern veterinary hospitals in every tehsil and the deployment of four mobile veterinary dispensaries per tehsil to ensure livestock healthcare services at the village level. She approved major decisions during a special video-link meeting, including doubling the quota for providing free livestock to rural women.
Officials of the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Department briefed the meeting on ongoing initiatives, while Provincial Minister for Livestock Ashiq Hussain Kirmani shared progress in the sector. The briefing highlighted that mechanisation will be introduced in livestock farming for the first time, with up to 60 per cent subsidy on machinery such as milk chillers, mixers, weighing scales, and feed equipment.
It was further informed that 9,255 animals have already been distributed free of cost among widowed and divorced women in South Punjab across 12 districts. For export targets, two million animals will be tagged, and two million semen doses will be provided on subsidy to improve breeding. The meeting was told that no cases of haemorrhagic septicaemia or lumpy skin disease have been reported since 2022, while a locally produced vaccine for lumpy skin disease is available at a significantly lower cost than imported alternatives. The CM said neglect of the livestock sector in the past was regrettable and termed livestock farming a key source of economic self-reliance.
