Kuwait lifts import ban on Pakistan poultry

KARACHI: Kuwait has lifted the ban on imports of bird meat and eggs from Pakistan after ascertaining that the products were free from bird flu.

The decision came upon a recommendation presented by Kuwait’s higher authority for food and nutrition, a Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) notice quoting the Embassy of Kuwait said.

The Embassy of Kuwait informed that ban was lifted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Kuwait on August 25, 2020. It was decided to lift ban on imports of all kind of birds meat (fresh, chilled, frozen, processed), all products, derivatives and eggs from Pakistan, as the country was free of bird flu, TDAP notice said.

Maroof Siddiqui of Pakistan Poultry Association said the country was free from bird flu disease, and the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) had also declared Pakistan free from the disease, after which the ban was lifted. He further informed that inspection teams from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE had also come to Pakistan and visited the poultry facilities in the country.

“There is no ban on our poultry products, and yet we can’t take any benefit because the higher cost of production leaves us uncompetitive,” Siddiqui said.

Despite surplus production, Pakistan’s poultry exports are nominal, and the same are not even mentioned by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in its export numbers.

Siddiqui said a small quantity of poultry goods was exported to Middle East after Saudi Arabia lifted the ban last year. “The purchase price of poultry meat in the international market is around $2.5/kg, while the freight cost is Rs175/kg. We cannot compete with Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand etc with such high cost of production here.”

Pakistan imports most of its poultry feed ingredients, including soybean, chemicals and vitamins.

“Every year, we send our proposals for the budget requesting tax exemptions on the import of poultry feed items/ingredients, and other measures to reduce cost of production, but none of our proposals are accepted. Governments across the world give rebate and subsidy to their exporters, but our government is only interested in collecting taxes,” Siddiqui added.