Thursday, January 16, 2014

Meat Consumption: Carnivorous Pakistanis Sit Atop Food Chain

A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature magazine reports that Pakistanis are among the most carnivorous people in the world.

The scientists conducting the study  used "trophic levels" to place people in the food chain. The trophic system puts algae which makes its own food at level 1. Rabbits that eat plants are level 2 and foxes that eat herbivores are 3. Cod, which eats other fish, is level four, and top predators, such as polar bears and orcas, are up at 5.5 - the highest on the scale.
Trophic Levels Map Source: Nature Magazine
After studying the eating habits of 176 countries, the authors found that average human being is at 2.21 trophic level. It put Pakistanis at 2.4, the same trophic level as Europeans and Americans. China and India are at 2.1 and 2.2 respectively.

Source: Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences


The countries with the highest trophic levels (most carnivorous people) include Mongolia, Sweden and Finland, which have levels of 2.5, and the whole of Western Europe, USA, Australia, Argentina, Sudan, Mauritania, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, which all have a level of 2.4.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also published recent report on the subject of meat consumption. It found that meat consumption in developing countries is increasing with rising incomes. USDA projects an average 2.4 percent annual increase in developing countries compared with 0.9 percent in developed countries. Per capita poultry meat consumption in developing countries is projected to rise 2.8 percent per year during 2013-22, much faster than that of pork (2.2 percent) and beef (1.9 percent).

Per Capita Meat Consumption and Income Source: USDA


India and China with the rising incomes of their billion-plus populations are expected to be the main drivers of the worldwide demand for meat and poultry.



Pakistan's goat meat consumption of 779,000 tons in 2011-12 ranks it among the top 3 in the world. 1.7 million tons of beef consumption in Pakistan is ranked  9th among beef consuming nations. In addition, 834,000 tons of poultry meat consumption puts it among world's top 20.

Source: Economic Survey of Pakistan 2011-12
Along with rising meat consumption, there has also been a big surge in milk consumption with the ongoing livestock revolution in Pakistan. Pakistanis consumed nearly 39 million tons of milk in 2011-12, according to Economic Survey of Pakistan. This translates into 223 Kg of milk consumption per person which is about the same as the developed world's per capita milk consumption and more than twice that of neighboring India's 96 kg per capita.

Although meat consumption in Pakistan is rising, it still remains very low by world standards. At just 18 Kg per person, it's less than half of the world average of 42 Kg per capita meat consumption reported by the FAO.

Being mostly vegetarian, neighboring Indians consume only 3.2 Kg of meat per capita, less than one-fifth of Pakistan's 18 Kg. Daal (legumes or pulses) are popular in South Asia as a protein source.  Indians consume 11.68 Kg of daal per capita, about twice as much as Pakistan's 6.57 Kg.

Another ingredient popular in South Asian cuisine is vegetable oil.  It's an important source of fat and protein for a nutritious and tasty diet. Edible oil consumption soars during the holidays as hundreds of millions of people eat sweets and fried foods during the September-December festive season.   Pakistanis use about 20 Kg of oil, the per capita amount recommended by the World Health Organization, while Indians consume about 13 Kg per capita.

Celebratory occasions like Eid or Diwali push sugar consumption in South Asia. Pakistan's per capita sugar consumption is about 23 Kg while India's is about 20 Kg per person per year.

Although still below average relative to the world, per capita consumption of meat, milk and edible oil is rising with rising incomes and standards of living in both India and Pakistan. As the dietary habits change, it'll be important for policy makers and health and fitness professionals to watch the changes and help educate the people about healthy eating and its environmental impact.

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Pakistan Among Top Meat and Dairy Consuming Nations

Pakistan Leads South Asia in Value Added Agriculture

Livestock and Agribusiness Revolution in Pakistan

Pakistan's Rural Economy Showing Strength

Solving Pakistan's Sugar Crisis

Food, Clothing and Shelter in India and Pakistan 

Is India a Nutritional Weakling?

India Tops World Hunger Charts

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Between 1961 and 2002, meat consumption has seen a large increase virtually worldwide and a corresponding jump in its environmental impact.
Links between meat consumption and climate change have been widely known for many years, partly due to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest to make room for the livestock. Clearing these forests is estimated to produce a staggering 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transport sector.
Increased meat-eating has followed rising affluence in many parts of the world. China's levels doubled between 1990 and 2002. Back in 1961, the Chinese consumed a mere 3.6kg per person, while in 2002 they reached 52.4kg each; half of the world's pork is now consumed in China.

The US and the UK are among the few countries whose meat consumption levels have remained relatively stable. Surprisingly, it is not the US with the largest consumption (124.8), but Denmark with a shocking 145.9kg per person in 2002.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/meat-consumption-per-capita-climate-change

CanadianBoy said...

Balwant Bhaneja: A Hindu-Canadian diplomat returns to Pakistan to find his truth.
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/01/17/balwant_bhaneja_a_canadian_diplomat_returns_to_pakistan_to_find_his_truth.html

"One of the most interesting elements of the trip was visiting my father’s town, Rohiri, his birthplace. I found there was still a sizeable Hindu community there. That totally took me by surprise. We still think there was a massive religious cleansing in Pakistan and there were no Hindus left.....In the three towns I passed through I kept meeting Hindus — traders, professionals. Their numbers were small, 300 or 400 families in each of these towns. They have their own places of worship. I dared to ask: “Are you happy here?” and they said, “Yes, this is the land where we were born.”

CanadianBoy said...

"Failed State" Pakistan can become world's 18th largest economy by 2050, says Economic expert Jim O'Neill,who is famous for coining the term BRIC.
http://www.geo.tv/article-134740-Pakistan-can-become-worlds-18th-largest-economy-by-2050-expert

Anonymous said...

"Failed State" Pakistan can become world's 18th largest economy by 2050,

Is that an achievement?

The world's fourth or fifth most populous country in 2050 having the eighteenth largest economy??

India should be the most populous country with the second or third largest economy then.(Actually it is on course to become the third largest economy by 2025).

CanadianBoy said...

@Anonymous: Better to have 18th largest economy then 3rd largest economy with daily gang-rapes,open defication and more hungry and malnourished humans then anywhere on earth.

Riaz Haq said...

Here's how two famous Indians see meat-loving Pakistan:

Sachin Tendulkar in TOI:

The senior cricketer further said he gorged on Pakistani food and had piled on a few kilos on his debut tour there.

"The first tour of Pakistan was a memorable one. I used to have a heavy breakfast which was keema paratha and then have a glass of lassi and then think of dinner. After practice sessions there was no lunch because it was heavy but also at the same time delicious. I wouldn't think of having lunch or snack in the afternoon. I was only 16 and I was growing," Tendulkar recalled.

"It was a phenomenal experience, because when I got back to Mumbai and got on the weighing scale I couldn't believe myself. But whenever we have been to Pakistan, the food has been delicious. It is tasty and I have to be careful for putting on weight," he said.

Hindol Sengupta in The Hindu:

Yes, that's right. The meat. There always, always seems to be meat in every meal, everywhere in Pakistan. Every where you go, everyone you know is eating meat. From India, with its profusion of vegetarian food, it seems like a glimpse of the other world. The bazaars of Lahore are full of meat of every type and form and shape and size and in Karachi, I have eaten some of the tastiest rolls ever. For a Bengali committed to his non-vegetarianism, this is paradise regained. Also, the quality of meat always seems better, fresher, fatter, more succulent, more seductive, and somehow more tantalizingly carnal in Pakistan. I have a curious relationship with meat in Pakistan. It always inevitably makes me ill but I cannot seem to stop eating it. From the halimto the payato the nihari, it is always irresistible and sends shock shivers to the body unaccustomed to such rich food. How the Pakistanis eat such food day after day is an eternal mystery but truly you have not eaten well until you have eaten in Lahore!


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-02/top-stories/34877619_1_street-food-india-and-pakistan-ice-cream

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/hindol_sengupta/article429776.ece

Riaz Haq said...

Here's Bloomberg on growing demand for processed milk in Pakistan:

Engro Foods Ltd., Pakistan’s second-largest dairy company, expects sales to increase 20 percent this year as an expanding middle class boosts demand for processed milk products in a nation where most people still buy the liquid raw and boil it.
Engro is seeking to almost quadruple annual revenue to 150 billion rupees ($1.52 billion) in seven years by adding higher-margin products such as infant formula and yogurt to cater to the world’s sixth-largest population, Chief Executive Officer Sarfaraz Ahmed Rehman said in an interview.
....Billionaire Mian Muhammad Mansha and the Fauji Foundation, a business group run by retired military officers, are seeking to enter the market dominated by Engro and Nestle Pakistan Ltd.
“I think the market will open up again, and there will be some growth coming through,” Rehman, 56, said. “Some of it might mean new competitors.”
Engro Foods shares rose 1.6 percent to 104.2 rupees at 9:35 a.m. in Karachi. They have declined 1 percent this year, valuing the company at 79.4 billion rupees. The KSE-100 Index has gained 15 percent.
Pakistan’s middle class has doubled to 70 million people in the past decade, driven by booms in agriculture and residential property, as well as jobs in telecom and media, according to Sakib Sherani, chief executive officer at Macroeconomic Insights in Islamabad. South Asia’s second-largest economy has a population of about 196 million.
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Engro Foods is controlled by Engro Corp. a holding company with eight different businesses that has its origins in fertilizer manufacturing. Engro Corp. is controlled by Chairman Hussain Dawood, one of Pakistan’s most prominent businesspeople. Engro Foods started operating in 2006.
Among Engro Food’s most-popular products are liquid tea whitener Tarang and UHT milk Olpers. It also sells juice, ice cream and lassi, a flavored milk drink. Since February, the company has manufactured powdered milk. Engro may collaborate with global consumer companies in the future, Rehman said.
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Consumer Spending
The company has about a dozen shops in Karachi under the Mabrook brand that sell pasteurized fresh milk.
The growth of Engro Foods and the prospects for greater sales of processed dairy products have drawn major Pakistani business groups to announce plans to enter the sector.
Consumer spending in Pakistan has increased at a 9.4 percent average annual pace in the last three years, compared with 4.3 percent for the Asia-Pacific region, according to Euromonitor International.
In addition to the planned dairy investments by billionaire Mansha and Fauji, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s business group has said it will start to make cheese and butter and import Australian buffaloes.
ICI Pakistan Ltd. plans to buy 40 percent of the Pakistani distribution rights for fortified infant formula made by Japan’s Morinaga Milk Industry Company Ltd. from Unibrands Pvt. for 960 million rupees. The company expects to complete the deal in the next few weeks.
“There is huge potential,” ICI Pakistan CEO Asif Jooma said in an interview in Karachi on June 24. “I think we have just touched the tip of the iceberg.”
Tapal, a Pakistani manufacturer of tea products, may enter the dairy business, said Arfa Khatoon, a spokeswoman for Tapal in Karachi.
“In the end, all these consumer businesses are function of volume, you get enough volume, you’ll get profits way above,” said Rehman, who used to be the Pakistan country head for PepsiCo Inc. “Grab volume. That’s what I have grown up with.”


http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-25/dung-free-milk-desire-drives-demand-for-engro-foods-in-pakistan.html

Riaz Haq said...

From FAO on Pak Aquaculture growth:

Aquaculture in Pakistan is a recent development and in many parts of the country the management of the sector is still poor with culture practices varying across the different provinces. Two Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted projects have assisted in strengthening the institutional structure, with infrastructure development such as the development of hatcheries and juvenile production, model farms, transfer of technology, human resource development as well as the strengthening of extension services.

Aquaculture has also received a substantial amount of government investment over the past decades and facilities are now in place that can provide the basis for a major future expansion in aquaculture production.

With the exception of trout culture in NWFP and the northern region, virtually all aquaculture currently carried out in Pakistan is pond culture of various carp species. Pakistan has not yet begun any coastal aquaculture operations although there is good potential all along Pakistan's 1 100 km coastline. Efforts have been made in the past to start shrimp farming along Sindh coast, which did not succeed, the main constraints being the non-availability of hatchery produced seed and a lack of expertise.

Freshwater fish culture in earthen ponds, both small and large reservoirs as well as community ponds was initiated in late 1960s by the provincial fisheries departments. From 1980 onwards the polyculture of Indian major carps and Chinese carps has been carried out in Punjab, Sindh and to some extent in NWFP.

According to the latest estimates, the total area covered by fish ponds across all provinces is about 60 470 ha, with Sindh having 49 170 ha, Punjab 10 500 ha, NWFP 560 ha and the other provinces (Balochistan, Azad Jammun Kashmir [AJK] and Northern Area [NA]) 240 ha.1.2Human resources:About 13 000 fish farms have so far been established across Pakistan, the size of these farms varies considerably, however, the average farm size ranges form 5-10 ha. No direct data on the number of fish farmers employed in this sector is available as fish farming in most parts of the country is carried out as an integral part of crop farming. According to a best estimates, about 50 000 people are either directly or indirectly employed in the sector.
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About 13 000 fish farms have so far been established across Pakistan, the size of these farms varies considerably, however, the average farm size ranges form 5-10 ha. No direct data on the number of fish farmers employed in this sector is available as fish farming in most parts of the country is carried out as an integral part of crop farming. According to a best estimates, about 50 000 people are either directly or indirectly employed in the sector.
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There has been a decreasing trend in inland fish production during the period between 2001 and 2003 resulting from severe drought and degradation of natural resources through pollution. Production from the inland capture fisheries has been affected most, inland aquaculture has, however, witnessed a relatively rapid increase....


http://www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/naso_pakistan/en

Riaz Haq said...

Hindu vigilantes set fire to one of Shah’s trucks in December as it carried six water buffalo to a government-owned slaughterhouse outside Mumbai, he said. They beat up the driver and set the animals free, according to Shah. ..... “The atmosphere in the abattoir is very tense,” said Shah, 38. “We’re being harassed everywhere and the attacks are worsening. The industry doesn’t know how to deal with this and everyone from transporters to dealers and farmers is scared.”....Vigilantes haven’t made any distinction between buffalo and dairy cows, targeting transporters of both. Trucks carrying cattle are often blocked by the activists, who snatch drivers’ phones, beat them up and hand over the cattle to animal welfare centers, according to the All Maharashtra Cattle Merchants Association. Attacks have increased since the May election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu-backed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) favours tighter restrictions on cow slaughtering, which is legal in five of India’s 29 states. “Our demand is to ban cow slaughter in India,” Surendra Kumar Jain, joint general secretary of Vishva Hindu Parishad, a religious group affiliated with BJP, said 25 February by phone from Rohtak.


http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Bx52wYO5bi7XBij3Ni5HVL/Indias-beef-boom-threatened-as-old-tensions-flare.html

Riaz Haq said...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Phase Two of the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) FEEDing Pakistan program to further develop Pakistan’s aquaculture sector and its use of feeds made from U.S. soy.

The additional one-year of funding allows WISHH to create even more demand for soy-based feeds, building upon the success of local fish farmers as well as private investment by the Pakistani feed industry.

“USDA support of FEEDing Pakistan boosts the growing soy-based feed industry in Pakistan, which has the sixth largest population in the world,” said WISHH Vice Chairman Lucas Heinen, a Kansas soybean grower. “WISHH’s strategy complements the U.S. Soybean Export Council’s work as Pakistan’s poultry industry now buys U.S. soybean meal and processing industry leaders import U.S. soybeans.”

Launched in 2011, WISHH’s FEEDing Pakistan has assisted approximately 2,000 Pakistani fish farmers and helped increase the market value of fish produced—tilapia—from zero at the beginning of the project to an estimated 450 mill rupees ($4.5 million USD) in 2014.

Photo: ASA WISHH’s FEEDing Pakistan project develops Pakistan’s aquaculture sector and its use of feeds made with soy. A 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture Report projected a 525 percent increase in aquaculture production in Pakistan and a complementary increase in the demand for fish feed between 2012 and 2022.

FEEDing Pakistan tilapia averaged 600 grams per fish–double the weight of traditional Pakistan fish harvests.

“Pakistani fish farmers had never seen such results,” said R.S.N. Janjua, who leads the project as ASA/WISHH Country Representative. “The tilapia received a premium in the local market place and increased enthusiasm for further development of Pakistan’s aquaculture industry with soy-based fish feeds.

“Phase One of FEEDING Pakistan also demonstrated that Pakistan’s fish farmers, academics, private sector, and government officials are ready to help aquaculture fill the protein gap in Pakistan where 44 percent of children under the age of five experience stunting,” Janjua added.

The Kansas Soybean Commission supported WISHH’s Phase One work in Pakistan. Kansas State University conducted training courses on fish feed manufacturing and best management practices. A trainee and co-owner of a Pakistani company learned about potential for growth in the aquaculture industry. As a result, he ordered feed extrusion equipment from Extru-Tech International of Sabetha, Kansas and formally inaugurated Pakistan’s first extruder for the production of floating fish feed in July 2013. USDA’s funding allowed WISHH to ship 25 metric tons of U.S. hi-protein soybean meal, which jump-started the floating fish feed manufacturing.

A 2013 USDA Global Agricultural Information Network report projected a 525 percent increase in aquaculture production in Pakistan and a complementary increase in the demand for fish feed. Aquaculture production would increase from 120,000 tons in 2012 to 750,000 tons in 2022. The demand for fish feed will increase from 210,000 tons to 1.3 million tons, and soybean meal demand from 42,000 tons to 260,000 tons.

Phase Two will allow WISHH to provide additional training to improve feed management and increase feed production as well as feed demand, largely in Punjab and Sindh. Training will reach both large-holder farmers with 20-200 acres of ponds as well as farmers with 1-2 acres. WISHH will also assist the private sector that is interested in expanding feed manufacturing.

http://m.kmaland.com/ag/usda-funds-phase-of-asa-wishh-s-feeding-pakistan/article_ecc5cdb8-1511-11e5-9ddc-ab529a6ab095.html

Riaz Haq said...

Poor Sanitation in India May Afflict Well-Fed Children With Malnutrition

So why was Vivek malnourished?

It is a question being asked about children across India, where a long economic boom has done little to reduce the vast number of children who are malnourished and stunted, leaving them with mental and physical deficits that will haunt them their entire lives. Now, an emerging body of scientific studies suggest that Vivek and many of the 162 million other children under the age of 5 in the world who are malnourished are suffering less a lack of food than poor sanitation.

Like almost everyone else in their village, Vivek and his family have no toilet, and the district where they live has the highest concentration of people who defecate outdoors. As a result, children are exposed to a bacterial brew that often sickens them, leaving them unable to attain a healthy body weight no matter how much food they eat.

“These children’s bodies divert energy and nutrients away from growth and brain development to prioritize infection-fighting survival,” said Jean Humphrey, a professor of human nutrition at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “When this happens during the first two years of life, children become stunted. What’s particularly disturbing is that the lost height and intelligence are permanent.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/world/asia/poor-sanitation-in-india-may-afflict-well-fed-children-with-malnutrition.html?_r=0

Riaz Haq said...

OECD data on per capita meat consumption in Pakistan (12.5 Kg per person)

Pork 0 (World 12.6 Kg)

Goat 2.1 Kg (1.7 Kg)

Poultry 4.2 Kg (13.2 Kg)

Beef & Veal 6.2 Kg (6.5Kg)


https://data.oecd.org/agroutput/meat-consumption.htm

https://twitter.com/conradhackett/status/718204833375895552

Riaz Haq said...

An Overview of Poultry Industry in Pakistan by J. HUSSAIN, RABBANI, S. ASLAM and H.A. AHMAD:


Pakistan industry still attained 127% growth in the total number of birds produced, 126% growth in the total meat production and 71%growth in terms of total eggs produced between 2000 and 2010 (GOP, 2013). The reason behind this extraordinary growth is the existence of the strong base of this industry inPakistan. Presently the cheapest available sources of animal protein in Pakistan are the eggs and meat from the poultry sector (PPA, 2013a).


Despite showing excellent potential and growth over the years, per capita availability of poultry meat in Pakistan is still 5 kg and 51 eggs per year, compared to developed countries where these figures are 41 kg meat and 300 eggs (PPA, 2013b). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the average daily requirement for animal protein is 27 g per person, whereas in Pakistan it is only 17 g (Memon, 2012). Out of this 17 g,the share of proteins from poultry is just 5 g, causing a gap of 10 g per person per day. If calculated on an annual basis, bearing in mind the present population of Pakistan (180million), this gap is 788,000 t of meat. In the national meat pool the share of beef and mutton is either constant or decreasing steadily and the poultry sector has the potential tofill this gap


Poultry production has increased its share steadily in the total meat pool of the country(Figure 5). In 1971, the market share of beef was 61%, mutton was 37%, and poultry meat a mere 2-2.5% (GOP, 2013). In 2010 the market share of poultry meat had increased to 25%, whereas beef and mutton had reduced to 55% and 20%respectively (GOP, 2013). It was this dynamic increase in the overall magnitude of poultry sector that decreased the gap between the supply and demand of animal proteins in Pakistan, and also assisted in stabilising beef and mutton prices, making meat affordable to most of the Pakistani population.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285673061_An_overview_of_poultry_industry_in_Pakistan

Riaz Haq said...

Pulse (Daal) crops in Pakistan:
Understanding the importance of pulses United Nations ‘s(UN) 68th General Assembly declared “2016” as “International Year of Pulses”.
Pulses are cultivated all over the world but in Pakistan it is being cultivated on 5% of total cultivated area of crops and chickpea,black gram,mung bean.pigeon pea, mash,masoor and few others are grown.
In Pakistan pulses are grown on 1.5 million hectors of land. Chickpea play a vital role in country’s pulses production as it is cultivated on 73% of the total area occupied by pulses cultivation and its contribution to the total pulses production is 76% while mash and masoor consumes 2%( each )of
area under pulses cultivation and share 1.4% in total pulses production.
Mung Bean an easily digestible item is one of the important pulse crop of Pakistan, it is mainly grown in southern parts of Punjab and Sindh. Punjab alone provides 88% area for its cultivation and share 85% in its total production in the country.
On an average every Pakistani consumes 6-7 kg of pulses annually which shows the interest of Pakistani people in pulses which is increasing demand and supply gap as Pakistan doesn’t have enough domestic production to meet the requirement of its country men, its domestic production of pulses was 0.45 million tonnes in 2014 which was 0.75 million tonns in 2013 much lower than demand.
Pakistan spent $139.096 million of foreign exchange in the fiscal year 2010-2011 to meet the domestic requirements of pulses by importing 628.508 thousand tonnes of pulses. 444.7776 thousand tonnes were imported during 2009-2010 according to available reports, these reports show increasing import trend as country spent $224.135 million in July2014-january 2015 and imported 370,181 metric tonns compared to $165.160 million in July2013-January2014 and imported volume of 262,509 metric tonnes, Country’s import volume of pulses was raised by 32.41 % as 63,130 metric tonnes were imported in January 2015 compared to 47,679 metric tonnes in same period of 2014.
Pakistan is mainly depended on Canada,Australia,Burma,Tanzania,Euthiopia to full fill the domestic requirement of pulses which is about 0.6 metric tonnes every year.
Major challenges faced by pulses sector in Pakistan are, farmers get lower prices for their outputs due to this farmers are switching to another crops for their bread and butter, role of middle men, lack of modern technology, machinery ,improper harvesting, improper sowing,delay or early sowing of seeds, non certified seeds, less resistant varieties of pulses, lack of interest of Government or improper Government policies and lack of research on pulses to increase productions. if work is done on these issues Pakistan will be able to produce and full fill domestic needs and it will also create more employment opportunities where other cash crops cant be grown.
http://www.agricorner.com/status-of-pulses-crops-in-pakistan/

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistanis to sacrifice over 10 million animals this Eid

https://www.geo.tv/latest/114495-Pakistanis-to-sacrifice-over-10-million-animals-this-Eid

Muslims in Pakistan celebrating Eid-ul-Azha will sacrifice over 10 million animals this year, officials at the Tanners' Association said on Monday.

According to Gulzar Feroz, the central chairman at the Tanners' Association, more than 2.7 million cows/bulls, four million goats, 800,000 lambs, and up to 30,000 camels will be sacrificed this year.

He said that the hides of cows/bulls were expected to fetch a price of Rs1,600 in the market, while goat hides would fetch a market price of Rs250 each.

He said that hides of sacrificial animals fetched a total of Rs8 billion last Eid, but due to fall in prices this year, hides of sacrificial animals are expected to fetch around Rs7 billion this year.

Riaz Haq said...

#Livestock contributes 11.6%, representing abt 60% of #agriculture output, to #Pakistan GDP http://pakobserver.net/livestock-sector-contributes-more-to-gdp-value/ … via @Pakistan Observer

The livestock sector contributed more to GDP value addition in FY16 than large-scale manufacturing, according to the State Bank of Pakistan’s annual State of the Economy report.
The contribution of livestock was 11.6pc against 10.9pc of large-scale manufacturing (LSM), the report reveals; but the sector itself grew only 3.6pc, below the 4pc level growth it had recorded in FY15.
Since the beginning of this century, the livestock sector has been growing steadily however more growth in the sector has come through value-addition in meat and milk processing and less through increase in animal headcount.
“Between FY01-10 we saw a growth (in the livestock sector) supported largely by milk processing; from then on both milk and meat processing have been fuelling growth,” says a senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
Milk and meat production, processing and value-addition have achieved several development milestones over the years. The dairy manufacturing industry, which took root though packaged milk still accounts for 5pc of our total milk production.
The establishment of the Pakistan Halal Authority and a set of incentives including tax exemptions and the reduction in customs duty on the import of machinery for meat processing for setting up fresh abattoirs are expected to further boost livestock growth.
Immediately after the authority started issuing Halal certificates, four meat exporting companies got supply order conformations from Malaysia, a hitherto unexplored meat export market, industry sources say.

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While milk and dairy product companies continue to thrive, mainly on local demand, meat processing firms are more dependent on exports. They are now able to explore new markets after having access to Halal certification facility at home. Previously, they had to get their export consignments certified as Halal from foreign sources.
Fauji Meat a subsidiary of Fauji Fertiliser that commenced operations this April — has come in as a big morale booster. With a daily production capacity of 100 tonnes of meat (85 tonnes beef and 15 tonnes mutton), the company has started exporting both frozen and chilled meat products primarily to Kuwait and a few other countries, officials say. Al-Shaheer Corporation, an old meat exporting company, has not only maintained its market share in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE but its Meat One and Khaas Meat are doing a roaring business in local markets as well.
In addition to selling its meat products through upscale superstores and its own outlets, the company also makes bulk sales to local institutions, including top hotels and restaurants.
Both Fauji Meat and Al-Shaheer Corporation have their own large animal breeding farms to ensure uninterrupted supply of healthy animals for regular slaughtering. The fact that after 2010, meat processing and exports have made real big progress is evident in several developments. First, it was towards the end of 2010 that the All Pakistan Meat Exporters and Processors regrouped as a formal trade association and now boasts 33 registered members engaged in meat exports to GCC nations, Afghanistan and some North African countries.
Second, meat exports have grown rapidly—from 72$m in FY09 to $269m in FY16. Besides, during the current decade local sales of processed meat have taken a quantum leap so that one can find neatly-arranged frozen and chilled primal cuts of red meat in most sizeable superstores in the big cities.

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan Fauji #Meat begins commercial operations to export 100 tons of #halal meat daily

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1296723/fauji-fertilizer-bin-qasim-limited-commences-commercial-operation-meat-export-plant/

KARACHI: Fauji Meat Limited – a subsidiary of Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL) – officially commenced commercial operations of its meat processing and export business on Monday.

FFBL, Group GM Finance/CEO Syed Aamir Ahsan, said the firm kick started the operations in April 2016 and booked sales revenue close to an estimate of Rs1 billion in the first nine months (April-December 2016).

“The revenue would touch Rs16-20 billion in the next 1-2 years,” Ahsan told The Express Tribune on the sidelines of inaugural ceremony of the abattoir in Bin Qasim, Karachi.

This is one of the world’s largest meat processing and exporting plant established at a cost of $75 million.

The abattoir and meat processing facility has a daily production capacity of 100 tons of meat (85 tons of beef and 15 tons of mutton) in frozen and chilled categories for worldwide export.

“You, perhaps, may not find such a big plant across the world,” said Ahsan. “This year {2017}, we will fully utilise the installed capacity,” he said.

“Our quality and processing is not less than anyone in the world,” he said. He said FML would also introduce its quality products at local markets.

FFBL’s share price increased 1.24%, or Rs0.67, and closed at Rs54.29 with 5.39 million shares changing hands at the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday. The increase in price was attributed to restoration of subsidy on fertilisers.

Present, future exports

The plant is currently serving the GCC region (Kuwait and UAE) and China, and is in the process of obtaining formal approval for export of meat to Russia, MENA region and Central Asia.

Iran has given approval, while approvals from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Russia are in the pipeline. “We are confident that all these countries would approve during the years 2017-2018,” he said.

“The volume of sales of halal meat stands at $300 billion. Pakistan’s share in this is almost nil,” he said.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ latest data, the export of meat and meat preparations dropped 19% in dollar denomination to $87.56 million during July-November 2016 from $108.10 million in the same period last year.

It decreased 25.19% quantity-wise to 23,107 tons in the said five months.

Pakistan has been endowed with a large livestock population which includes cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat. It has a herd size of more than 60 million animals; one of the largest in the world.

Responding to a question, Ahsan said, production of 100-tons-a-day is a single-shift installed capacity. With the addition of another shift, the capacity can be doubled at a nominal investment.

The firm has engaged dozens of farmers to make quality breed available on a consistent and scientific basis.

Fauji Foundation Group Chairman Khalid Nawaz said the group started off with $0.2 million and now its annual turnover exceeds $1.5 billion, making it one of the largest business conglomerates in the country with interests in more than 18 industries and having a diverse investment portfolio.

Riaz Haq said...

#Rice Bran Oil, high in healthy fats, and Economic Diplomacy in #Pakistan, #India, #SouthAsia http://on.natgeo.com/2mTOjvC via @NatGeo

Across super markets worldwide, a new product is showing up rather unobtrusively called “rice bran oil” (RBO). For the healthy shopper, the labeling on the product will usually reveal its health benefits in terms high omega fatty acids which promote cardiovascular stability. The origins of this new product can be traced back to Asia as well but not any particular traditional diet but to a salubrious confluence of resource economics and chemical engineering. The diminutive rice grain has multiple layers. The outer layer is referred to as the hull and is often discarded for animal feed. There is also an inner layer of bran, which is only 8% of the weight of the grain capsule but contains over 75% of the oil content. Over the past three decades, Indian and Chinese scientists have developed complex chemical engineering processes to extract this oil in edible form.

India can claim ascendancy in developing rice bran oil as a commercially viable alternative to other high temperature oils from soybeans, cottonseeds and peanuts. The country is now the world’s largest producer and the Indian rice bran oil market size was valued over $600 million in 2014. This market is likely to continue growth as the country has 1.4 million tons of RBO production potential of which only around 900 kilotons is currently produced. In 2015, Government of India lifted ban on RBO exports, thus opening the way for major international competition for world markets.

The rice bran industry in India has added considerable value to the most ubiquitous of agricultural products but the other major rice producer of South Asia – Pakistan (the world’s fourth largest producer of rice) – has not been a beneficiary of this new growth opportunity. Enter, Abid Butt, a self-made serial entrepreneur from Karachi and a World Economic Forum “Young Global Leader.” When Abid saw the rise of RBO products on his grocery store shelves, he saw an opportunity for growth in this sector for Pakistan. Moving from his usual comfort zone of logistics supply chain commerce, he took the plunge in developing Pakistan’s first rice bran oil extraction plant.

Soon, Abid was on a steep learning curve in complex solvent extraction technologies and industrial catalysts that are needed to extract the precious oil from the thin layer of rice bran that coats the kernel of the grain. The complexity of the process was daunting but the nearest supplier of the equipment was of course in neighboring India. The only challenge was that the lack of trust between India and Pakistan at the political level made technology transfer between the two countries highly contentious. Yet, Abid was not deterred by the saber-rattling that warrior hawks from both countries frequently display. He managed to work through a business visa process to get Indian engineers to Lahore over a period of several months to literally build the RBO plant in Pakistan on a fair contract for the Indian suppliers.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to visit the facility an hour’s drive from Lahore, near Muridke, which is in the heart of northern Punjab’s rice growing district. The facility stands as a beacon of hope for economic diplomacy between these two acrimonious nuclear powers. If commercializable chemical engineering technology can be shared and developed between the two countries, there are clearly many other opportunities for knowledge-sharing that can bring mutual benefit. All we need is a willingness to see creative synergies of cooperation rather than constant fear-mongering of competition and discord.

Riaz Haq said...

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > BUSINESS
Pakistan becomes third-largest importer of cooking oil

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1302877/high-consumption-pakistan-becomes-third-largest-importer-cooking-oil/

KARACHI: Pakistan has become the third largest importer of cooking oil after China and India, a statement said on Saturday.

“The import of crude and refined cooking oil has increased to 2.6 million tons per annum in Pakistan,” Westbury Group Chief Executive Rasheed Jan Mohammad said at a one-day conference on edible oil.

Balance of payments: Current account deficit widens 92%

Pakistan also imports 2.2 million tons oil seeds every year, he said.

Imports help the country meet around 75% of its domestic needs. The remaining need is met through locally produced banola and mustard oils.

Pakistan imports crude and refined cooking oils (palm and palm olein) mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia and brings in soybean oil from North America and Brazil.

Jan Mohammad said approximately 30% of the import bill is comprised of taxes that traders pay at Pakistan’s sea ports. “The government should rationalise the taxes,” he said.

Dr James Fry, Chairman of LMC International, a research institute of the UK, said fluctuation in production, demand and price of edible oils has a direct link with crude fuel oils in the world. “The production and supply of palm oil would increase in 2017,” he projected.

The statement issued by Pakistan Edible Oil Conference (PEOC) quoted speakers at the conference, saying that Pakistan needs to set up one more import terminal at sea ports to keep the flow of goods smooth.

Apparel sector: Govt urged to withdraw duty on cotton yarn import

They said that Pakistan has so far invested Rs50 billion in import, processing and storage industries of edible oil. They estimated a similar quantum of investment in the years to come. Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Chief Executive SM Muneer said revival of the local economy, increased disposable income, surging demand for cooking oil and rising population have created opportunities for more investment in the edible oil industry in Pakistan.

Zubair Tufail, President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that per-capita consumption of cooking oil in Pakistan is among the highest in the world.

He said Malaysia and Indonesia remained two big sources of import of the oil into the Pakistan. He asked Malaysia and Indonesia to increase investment in the edible oil industry in Pakistan, as they can take benefit of transit trade to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries via Pakistan.

Outstanding bills: Disruption in oil supplies to power plants feared

Sheikh Amjad Rafique, a speaker at the conference, said Malaysia has imposed taxes on export of oil to Pakistan. “This is a negation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Malaysia,” he said.

He said the Pakistani government needs to engage with Malaysia to remove this anomaly and exploit full benefit of the agreement in place.

Riaz Haq said...

Equipped With New Test Capabilities, Laboratory in #Pakistan Helps Improve #FoodSafety, Increase #Meat #Exports https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/equipped-with-new-capabilities-laboratory-in-pakistan-helps-improve-food-safety-increase-exports#.WXp1USN5gMA.twitter …
The Pakistani Veterinary Residue Laboratory in Faisalabad, a food laboratory supported by the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has acquired the capability to undertake state-of-the-art tests to certify the safety of food. It has recently earned International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accreditation, and officials expect this to contribute to increased meat exports thanks to food safety certificates the lab will be able to issue for the first time.

“Pakistan produces some of the world’s finest tasting foods, especially meat and other animal products,” said Ahmad Waqar, who is in charge of this cooperation at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the IAEA. “In the past, Pakistan has had exports rejected because they did not comply with the food safety standards of importing countries. This resulted in safety concerns, significant economic losses and food waste.”

The livestock sector contributes 12 percent of Pakistan’s GDP. In 2010, the European Union rejected 134 food export consignments due to the presence of contaminants. This raised concerns in Pakistan about the need to improve its food safety control system.

Veterinary drug misuse comes with consequences

As with many farmers around the world, it is common practice to administer medicines to animals to keep them healthy, rather than to treat disease when it occurs. “From a food safety point of view, problems especially arise when farmers do not have correct advice on what drug to buy and use, or do not follow instructions on how, when and how much to administer or how long to wait until the drugs have cleared out of the animal’s body,” said James Jacob Sasanya, food safety specialist at the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. If drugs remain in the animals, they, or their residues, may end up in food products and could pose a health hazard to consumers.

For meat and other food products to be accepted as safe for consumption, they must be tested, among others, for veterinary drug residues to ensure these residues do not exceed safety or reference limits. “Pakistan did not have the capacity to conduct these tests until the new laboratory became operational,” Waqar said.

The laboratory was established by Pakistan’s Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. The IAEA’s technical cooperation programme helped by providing the laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, and supported training opportunities at various European reference laboratories and expert missions to assist with implementing measurement protocols and methods as well as regular technical advice. Through this support, the laboratory has increased its testing capability and received the accreditation.

The certificate is valid for three years for the analysis of seven types of antibiotics and hormone analyses in food products. As a result, Pakistan now has the capacity to process over a thousand food samples each year.

Sheep products used to make sausages are one of the key export products and are monitored by 13 quarantine centers in Pakistan. These centers rely on credible laboratory testing, which for the first time is now available at the Veterinary Residue Laboratory and internationally recognized. “In the absence of its own national analytical capabilities, tests had to be outsourced to other countries, which is both expensive and time-consuming,” Sasanya said. “With this new achievement, Pakistan can now rely on its own analytical capabilities.”

Several countries from around the world are benefitting from this nuclear-derived technique and the assistance of the IAEA and the FAO for its implementation, including Botswana and Morocco.

Riaz Haq said...

Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2017; 37(3): 329–341.
Published online 2017 Jun 30. doi: 10.5851/kosfa.2017.37.3.329
PMCID: PMC5516059
An Insight of Meat Industry in Pakistan with Special Reference to Halal Meat: A Comprehensive Review
Muhammad Sohaib* and Faraz Jamil1


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5516059/

In Pakistan, per capita use of meat is around 32 kg as compared to developed world, where per capita meat consumption reached to 93 kg as lead by Australia followed by USA. Accordingly, during the last few years, modern slaughter houses and processing facilities are established in Pakistan. These plants are mainly located across Lahore and Karachi, having capacity to produce processed meat products. Currently, Pakistan meat industry is producing variety of meat products including traditional and western style like kabab, kofta, fillings for samosas, mince products, nuggets, burger patties, sausages, and tender pops etc (Noor, 2015). Moreover, given the increased concern of food safety and a shift to modern meat processing methods, the meat product businesses are experiencing further integration (Kristensen et al., 2014). Furthermore, the size of slaughter houses and meat processing companies has also been raising leading intensification and more variety of meat products. The slaughtering and meat processing technologies for poultry and livestock has seen momentous changes. The conventional techniques of “one knife to kill”, one blade to remove hair/skin and one weighing balance to trade meat” has disappeared significantly in large-scale productions, shifting to mechanized slaughter houses, refined cuts according to consumer demand, chilled-chain distribution and regulated selling of meat and meat products (Troy et al., 2016).

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Pakistan per capita meat consumption in 2000 was 11.7 kg that was increased to 13.8 and 14.7 kg in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Additionally, current per capita meat consumption has reached to 32 kg that is further expected to reach 47 kg by 2020 (Table 1). However, urbanization, economic growth, industrialization as well as eating pattern resulting increased per capita meat in the future years that will also generates higher demand for meat and allied products (Chartsbin, 2017). The dietary awareness to population has also played key role in shifting preferences to consume meat and its products. Pakistan having rich traditions and cultural festivities is also adding more demand for meat and meat products during whole year and this demand further rises significantly during festive season. To cope up this growing demand, government as well as meat industry are now concentrating to meet requirements by providing sufficient, healthy and quality produce, both fresh and processed products (GOP, 2016). Furthermore, consumer awareness is pushing meat industry and regulating agencies to keep an eye on quality of meat, safety assurance, animal health and welfare as well as precise traceability (Steinfeld et al., 2006).

Riaz Haq said...

Demand For #Meat, including #Beef, Is Growing Rapidly in #India. This Could Impact All Of Us. #Modi #Beefban #Hindutva #Islamophobia via @forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpellmanrowland/2017/12/17/india-meat-increase/#7f06a08033b1

India is projected to be one of the largest growth areas for consumption in chicken, beef, and mutton. And while vegetarianism is often believed to be widespread in India, influenced by religion and other factors, the data seems to suggest otherwise.

According to the sample registration system (SRS) baseline survey 2014 released by the registrar general of India, 71 percent of Indians over the age of 15 are non-vegetarian. While that means 330 million of India’s 1.2 billion people are vegetarian, it obscures the fact that many are rapidly abandoning their vegetarian diet due to an increased desire for meat.

Higher meat consumption in India is not entirely surprising, as meat-heavy diets are often correlated with an increase in wealth. As the emerging market countries like India gain a larger share of the economic pie, the trend is likely to continue.


This is important for many reasons, as the world is already grappling with climate change and water scarcity. It takes over 8,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of mutton and 4000 liters for 1 kg of chicken, which is significantly larger than that of plant-based protein. Chicken production also releases 25 times more CO2 than grain production per calorie.

Market Opportunity

While this all sounds quite sobering, it does afford opportunity for companies that provide the experience of eating meat, without the sustainability challenges.

Surprisingly, there's very little competition in the meat-alternative space in India, given the apparent market opportunity. Up until now, most of the product innovation has been occuring in the US and Europe. The food system is also quite fragmented in India. Unlike America, where it seems like Walmarts are everywhere, India is comprised of a vast network of small stores, making distribution more of a challenge.

One company does seem to be on the right track, and that is Good Dot. Based in India, Good Dot was founded by Abhishek Sinha (CEO of India), Stephanie Downs (CEO), and Deepak Parihar (CFO). They are leveraging their understanding of India’s complex distribution network to get their alt-meat products to consumers. Currently, their distribution includes 12 million members, 1.2 million distributors, and 7500 pick-up centers.

They’ve secured funding from the likes of New Crop Capital to roll out production of plant-based meats at a price below conventional meat ($1.75 per 250/g versus $2.00). In just three months, they sold half a million units, suggesting the kind of demand they'll need in order to scale throughout the country.

‘The meat industry is our biggest competitor. There are a few other options in the market (such as Ahimsa or Sunshine), but they don't look or taste like real meat and have very small distribution, even they have been around for awhile. We are the first to be focused on converting non-veg to veg, while the others cater to the veg market.’ - Co-founder Stephanie Downs


The sustainability challenges linked to the world's current eating habits are well documented. To make matters worse, the planet is expected to see it’s population grow to 9 billion people by 2050, largely because of India and other emerging market countries. If companies like Good Dot don’t succeed in helping consumers eat more sustainably in India and beyond, our ability to feed the planet is going to get a lot harder.

Riaz Haq said...

Domestic and foreign investors have started showing interest in oil palm farming following satisfactory results from trial production of the oil palm fruit in Thatta.
Besides a domestic edible oil company, a delegation of local traders and the Malaysian embassy visited a 50-acre oil palm fruit orchard in Kathore, Thatta to assess quality of the fruit and suitability of soil.
The delegation along with Sindh Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development (ECCCD) Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri also visited a palm oil producing mill set up by the provincial government and inspected its production process, said an ECCCD spokesperson on Monday.
“Expressing satisfaction over the quality and production environment in the region, officials were of the view that it provided excellent investment opportunities for oil palm cultivation and palm oil production, which should be fully utilised by the global and local business communities,” he said.
On the occasion, the secretary told the delegation that Sindh had crossed an important milestone through successful experimentation with oil palm cultivation.
He said that the project would play a key role in prosperity of Pakistan and meet domestic demand for palm oil to a great extent.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276889/oil-palm-farming-attracts-investors

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Edible oil including soybean and palm into the country during first four months of current financial year increased by 42.99% and 30.57% respectively as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

During the period from July to October 2020-21, about 72,631 metric tons of soybeans costing $48.168 million imported as against the import of 48, 489 metric tons valuing $33.687 million of same period of last year.

According the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, during the period under review about 1,049,134 metric tons of palm oil worth of $661.445 million imported as against the import of 929,331 metric tons valuing $506.586 million of same period last year.

During the period under review imports of palm oil into the country witnessed about 30.

57% increase as against the imports of the same period of last year, it added.

It is worth mentioning here that in last four months of current financial year food group imports into the country grew by 43.49 percent as different food commodities costing $2.272 billion imported as against the imports of 1.583 billion of the same period of last year.

On the other hand, food group exports from the country during the period review went down by 16.77 percent as it was recorded at $1.331 billion from July-October, 2020 as compared to $1.359 billion of the corresponding period of last year.

On month on month basis, the exports of food commodities post 13.42 percent reduction in month of October, 2020 as compared the same month of last year, whereas imports into the country during the period under review grew by 15.14 percent


https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/edible-oil-including-soybean-palm-imports-gr-1100618.html

Riaz Haq said...

Cargill acquires minority stake in FAP’s terminal at Port Qasim
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/755755-cargill-acquires-minority-stake-in-fap-s-terminal-at-port-qasim

Global commodities trader Cargill Inc had bought a minority stake in Fauji Akbar Portia Marine Terminal Limited (FAP), Pakistan’s one of the largest bulk terminal, which handles agricultural supplies in the country, a statement said on Tuesday.

The deal is privately held US-based Cargill’s first investment into Pakistan, after the strategic intent announced in last January.

With this investment, Cargill will handle grains, cereals, rice, oilseeds and fertilizers at Port Qasim.

Waqar Malik, chairman Fauji Foundation said this transaction is a signal and validation of the Pakistan opportunity seen by the world’s leading player in agriculture commodities.

“With its global port experience, Cargill will help drive greater operational efficiencies for the port to reach its potential of handling agri-cargo safely and efficiently,” Malik said.

He added that Cargill, with its global port experience, will help drive greater operational efficiencies for the port to reach its potential of handling agri-cargo safely and efficiently.

“Going forward, both partners aim to build a safety culture that will create a world class, safe and sustainable environment for FAP’s employees and customers.”

Imran Nasrullah, country president, Cargill Pakistan said the investment would further adds to the company’s global port operation’s footprint and strengthens its agricultural trading and supply chain operations in the region.

“In future we will also look at opening doors for other sectors where we can add value, besides exploring business synergies with our existing partners,” Nasrullah said.

He said the investment also demonstrate Cargill “commitment to partner in the economic growth of Pakistan by bringing in our global expertise and investment”.

FAP is a joint venture between Fauji Foundation, Akbar Group of Companies and National Bank of Pakistan. FAP started operations in 2010 and provides complete supply chain management solutions for ship berthing, unloading, storage and bagging of all types of grains, cereals, oilseeds and fertilizers. The terminal operates with international standards and has helped build efficiencies in dry cargo handling in Pakistan.

The statement said Fauji Foundation, through this partnership with the world’s leading agriculture company, will transform FAP’s supply chain to enhance overall value for all stakeholders including suppliers, customers, employees and shareholders.