Pakistan eyes disease-free zones, wider meat access to Türkiye

November 05, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan and Türkiye have agreed to turn their strategic partnership into practical initiatives in agriculture, livestock, vaccine production, human resource development and value-added food exports through institutional linkages, technical collaboration and direct engagement between ministries, universities and experts.

Türkiye will send a technical delegation to Pakistan to explore cooperation in developing indigenous production of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine, while Pakistan plans to send an initial group of around 30 participants to Türkiye under a proposed training programme for 100 trainees, said a press release issued.

Pakistan also linked the vaccine cooperation and disease control to its ambition to set up disease-free zones and strengthen access to international meat markets, particularly Türkiye.

The understanding came during a meeting between Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Türkiye’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Irfan Neziroglu.

Rana Tanveer Hussain said the Prime Minister has decided to seek Türkiye’s technical support for building Pakistan’s FMD vaccine production capacity, and the ambassador expressed his country’s willingness to extend technical cooperation.

On training, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified potential Turkish institutions, while coordination with the Higher Education Commission is under way to finalise universities, priority disciplines and arrangements.

The ambassador offered to facilitate direct linkages with Turkish universities, particularly those specialising in agriculture.

The two sides also discussed findings from recent exchanges between Pakistani and Turkish livestock experts, including a Pakistani delegation’s visit to Türkiye to study its livestock sector, with the delegation preparing a report on practical areas where Turkish expertise can be adopted.

Both sides recognised that better animal health standards and domestic vaccine production would help expand Pakistan’s livestock and meat export potential.

The meeting also reviewed Türkiye’s earlier support through TIKA for an olive oil production facility in Muzaffarabad, which has reportedly benefited around 5,000 farmers.

Pakistan expressed interest in replicating similar initiatives in olive-producing areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chakwal and Attock, with emphasis on processing, value addition and better market opportunities.

Cooperation in olives and other value-added food products was also discussed. Both sides stressed moving towards implementation through technical teams, institutional cooperation and targeted joint initiatives.

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