PENNSYLVANIA — The market for beef in the U.S. is booming, but for Pakistan, the demand is more intense.
Pakistans beef market has grown nearly 100% in the past three years to $8.2 billion, according to data from market researcher Technomic.
The country is now the largest producer of beef in Africa and Asia, and is also a major supplier to China and India.
Pakistan is also the third largest exporter of lamb, with some 14,000 cows.
A large percentage of Pakistani beef is exported to China, where the market has exploded over the past two decades.
According to the market research company, the average price of a kilogram of Pakis beef has increased more than 50% in three years.
Demand is so intense that the market is now being sold on the secondary market, according in a recent report by Technomic, a data firm that analyzes global food and beverage markets.
There are about 6,000 licensed producers in the country, and a total of more than 5 million cows are exported to Chinese markets, according Technomic’s CEO David J. Crain.
As of the end of February, the U., U.K., France, Italy and Germany were the biggest buyers of Paki beef, according the market researcher.
China, which imports a significant amount of Pakias meat, is also becoming more selective in sourcing Paki cattle.
On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a state-owned poultry plant in the capital, Beijing.
He also announced that Chinese meat processors would be allowed to produce Pakis for export in the coming months.
“We have been importing poultry for over 100 years,” Xi said.
“Now we will allow the Chinese producers to produce meat in our country.
The meat will be exported.”
Pakistani President Shaukat Aziz, who visited a poultry plant earlier this month, has also been pushing for the country to become more selective.
In his recent State of the Nation Address, he said that the meat industry needs to increase its production capacity to reach the growing demand of China.
Zaidi says that Pakis demand is driven by the “unlimited supply of pork, which is a source of great income” in Pakistan.
However, he says that this has not translated into increased demand for pork products in the last few years.