Pakistan will boost exports of poultry products to the United Arab Emirate (UAE), a move through which the country is aiming to be placed in the top ten exporters to the UAE
As the UAE is expected to import poultry products worth US$1.1bn in 2018, Pakistan initially targets a share of US$40mn, according to Pakistan Today.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Younas Dagha, secretary of commerce, and attended by the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and concerned officials of the other ministries.
The source said that during the meeting, the PPA demanded to reduce import duties on machinery and equipment, sales tax and regulatory duty on poultry inputs to boost the export to the UAE market.
Dagha said that the PPA’s demands would be considered on an urgent basis. It was further decided in the meeting that a comparative chart of incentives given by other countries would be drawn to assess the negative impact on local industry and required tax relief.
Fourteen units were approved for exports to the UAE. Nearly 70 per cent of the exports were made by K&N, a local company, which has invested heavily in value added products over the last few years.
The PPA claimed that Pakistan could export up to US$200mn per annum to the UAE alone if the issues of competitiveness were resolved on an urgent basis, mentioned the source.
With the massive demand for halal poultry products in the Middle East markets, the local industry could not compete internationally due to a high ratio of taxes in the country. Therefore the Middle East governments are looking for international suppliers to meet the demand of poultry and poultry based products in the country.
In February 2017, the UAE lifted the eight years old ban on the import of poultry products from Pakistan. The UAE has allowed Pakistan to export day-old chicks and hatching eggs from the companies with attached health certificates from the ministry.
