Pakistan, Türkiye agree to expand farming and livestock ties

Pakistan and Türkiye agreed on Wednesday to widen cooperation in farming, livestock, vaccine production and processed food exports, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.

The talks took place in Islamabad between Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador Irfan Neziroglu, Türkiye's envoy to Pakistan.

Both sides agreed to put their long-standing partnership into practice through institutional links, technical cooperation and direct contact between ministries, universities and experts.

Hussain said the Prime Minister had decided to seek Turkish technical help in building Pakistan's own foot-and-mouth disease vaccine production capacity.

Neziroglu said Türkiye was willing to provide technical cooperation and that a Turkish technical delegation would visit Pakistan.

The officials also discussed recent exchanges between livestock experts from both countries, including a Pakistani delegation's visit to Türkiye to study its livestock sector.

That delegation is preparing a report that will identify practical areas where Turkish expertise could be adopted in Pakistan.

The meeting also reviewed earlier Turkish support, channelled through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, TIKA, for an olive oil production facility in Muzaffarabad, which reportedly benefits about 5,000 farmers.

Pakistan proposed extending similar projects to olive-growing areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chakwal and Attock, with a focus on processing, value addition and better market access.

Both sides stressed the need for technical teams, institutional cooperation and targeted joint projects to move the plans forward.

TIKA is Türkiye's official development agency and has funded projects in Pakistan across several sectors for years.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral illness that affects cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats, and vaccination is a main tool for controlling it.