By Nayyer Khawaja
Islamabad, Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, held a meeting with Ambassador of Türkiye to Pakistan, H.E. Dr. İrfan Neziroğlu, to discuss concrete measures for strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture, livestock, vaccine production, human resource development and value-added food exports.
Both sides agreed to translate the longstanding strategic partnership between Pakistan and Türkiye into practical initiatives through institutional linkages, technical collaboration and direct engagement between relevant ministries, universities and experts.
A key focus of the meeting was capacity building and technical training. Pakistan informed the Turkish side of its plan to send an initial group of around 30 participants to Türkiye under the proposed training programme for 100 trainees. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified potential Turkish institutions, while coordination with the Higher Education Commission is underway to finalize universities, priority disciplines and training arrangements. The Turkish Ambassador offered to facilitate direct linkages with relevant Turkish universities, particularly those specializing in agriculture.
Livestock development and domestic production of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine emerged as major priorities. The Minister highlighted that the Prime Minister had decided to seek Türkiye’s technical support for developing Pakistan’s indigenous FMD vaccine production capacity. The Turkish Ambassador expressed his country’s willingness to extend technical cooperation and confirmed that a Turkish technical delegation would visit Pakistan to explore avenues for collaboration.
The two sides also discussed the findings of recent exchanges between Pakistani and Turkish livestock experts, including a Pakistani delegation’s visit to Türkiye to study its livestock sector. The delegation is preparing its report to identify practical areas for adopting relevant Turkish expertise in Pakistan.
The proposed cooperation on FMD vaccine production and disease control was also linked to Pakistan’s ambition to establish disease-free zones and strengthen access to international meat markets, particularly Türkiye. Both sides recognized that improved animal health standards and domestic vaccine production would contribute to expanding Pakistan’s livestock and meat export potential.
The meeting also reviewed Türkiye’s previous support through TIKA for an olive oil production facility in Muzaffarabad, which has reportedly benefited around 5,000 farmers. Pakistan expressed interest in expanding similar initiatives to olive-producing areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chakwal and Attock, with emphasis on processing, value addition and improved market opportunities. Cooperation in olives and other value-added food products was also discussed.
Both sides emphasized the importance of moving towards implementation through technical teams, institutional cooperation and targeted joint initiatives, reaffirming their commitment to further strengthening Pakistan–Türkiye agricultural and livestock cooperation.
