Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the government aimed to connect Punjab's livestock farmers with national exporters and international platforms to expand market access and establish the province as a regional livestock hub. According to a provincial government handout, livestock exports from Punjab have increased by 43 percent, with 400,000 animals prepared for export over the past year, while rural livestock farmers are projected to earn Rs11 billion.
Under the Livestock Card scheme launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, farmers are receiving Rs27,000 per animal to help cover feed and fodder expenses, the handout added. The provincial government has notified eight Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) compartments and plans to establish seven more this year to facilitate exports to China, Europe, and the United States.
A total of 129,581 animals reared under the Livestock Card scheme have already been exported. The government also plans to set up five meat-processing plants and five modern slaughterhouses, alongside meat-packing facilities and commercial feedlots.
It will provide Rs19 billion in financing subsidies for investments in the integrated livestock value chain, while private investment of Rs65 billion is anticipated in the meat sector. Additionally, Punjab will establish its first FMD vaccine production unit through a public-private partnership involving Rs28 billion in private investment.
District-wise export figures include 20,000 animals from Lahore, 24,297 from Bahawalpur, 12,529 from Faisalabad, 21,000 from Gujranwala and Gujrat, 27,000 from Multan, 22,000 from Sargodha, and 2,661 from Sahiwal. Under the Livestock Connect system, the government has established direct links with 1,725 fattening farms, 20 export slaughterhouses, 88 meat exporters, and 34 meat traders.
The number of rural women livestock farmers registered under the Livestock Card scheme has risen from 90 to 1,107. Separately, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif commended security forces on Sunday for successful counter-terrorism operations in Quetta, Nushki, and Khuzdar, paying tribute to them for neutralizing eight terrorists.