Ankara, November 10,2026: Pakistan plans to establish Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine manufacturing facilities within one year and explore meat exports to Türkiye following the successful completion of an FMD-free zone project, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has said.
The development follows a meeting between Rana Tanveer Hussain and Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, during which the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in livestock development, disease control, vaccine manufacturing and meat exports.
During the meeting, the Pakistani minister thanked his Turkish counterpart for the invitation and appreciated the arrangements. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attached great importance to Türkiye’s support and cooperation, describing it as a brotherly country with considerable expertise in the livestock sector.
Recalling his earlier meeting with the Turkish minister in Berlin, Rana Tanveer said he had proposed sending a Turkish delegation to Pakistan to explore opportunities for cooperation in livestock development. Türkiye subsequently dispatched its Director General of Livestock, accompanied by a delegation, to Pakistan.
In response, Pakistan recently sent a delegation of technical livestock experts to Türkiye. The delegation visited livestock facilities, farms, slaughterhouses and public- and private-sector vaccine manufacturing plants to study the country’s technical expertise, infrastructure and capabilities.
The delegation submitted its findings to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, while its key observations were also shared with the prime minister for consideration and further action.
The federal minister informed his Turkish counterpart that, on the prime minister’s directives, Pakistan was pursuing the establishment of FMD vaccine manufacturing facilities within one year.
He said two projects were being undertaken in this regard, one by the Punjab government and the other at the federal level.
Rana Tanveer further expressed Pakistan’s intention to export meat to Türkiye after successfully completing the FMD-free zone project. Both sides agreed to pursue the proposed initiatives on a mutually beneficial basis.
He said Pakistan valued Türkiye’s technical expertise and experience in livestock development, animal disease control and vaccine production, expressing confidence that enhanced cooperation would strengthen Pakistan’s livestock sector and create new opportunities for agricultural trade.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Rana Tanveer Hussain presented a commemorative shield to Turkish Minister İbrahim Yumaklı as a gesture of goodwill and friendship.
