ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved Pakistan’s halal meat export policy, directing authorities to draw up a three-year action plan aimed at targeting Muslim and global markets, his office said.

Pakistan has attempted in recent months to increase its halal meat exports to other Muslim countries, such as Malaysia. Both countries announced they had agreed to a $200 million halal meat trade quota during Sharif’s visit to the country in October.

Sharif chaired a meeting on Thursday to review Pakistan’s halal meat export policy, in which officials informed him that Pakistan’s halal meat production stands at 6 million metric tons. Officials told the prime minister that after fulfilling local demand, a substantial quantity of the meat is available for export.

“A coordinated and comprehensive strategy, developed in collaboration with all relevant federal ministries and provincial governments, is essential to secure a significant share for Pakistan in the halal meat markets of Muslim countries and worldwide,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) quoted Sharif as saying.

A 2024 report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said the country exported meat worth $512 million last year, which included beef, mutton and poultry.