ISLAMABAD, November 4, 2026: Pakistan and Türkiye have agreed to strengthen cooperation in livestock development, domestic vaccine production, agricultural training and value-added food exports, with a Turkish technical delegation expected to visit Pakistan to explore collaboration on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine manufacturing.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Turkish Ambassador Dr. İrfan Neziroğlu in Islamabad.
According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the two sides agreed to pursue practical initiatives through technical partnerships, institutional cooperation and exchanges between agricultural experts.
A major focus was Pakistan’s plan to develop indigenous FMD vaccine production capacity with Turkish technical assistance.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had decided to seek Türkiye’s expertise in establishing domestic vaccine manufacturing capabilities to strengthen livestock disease prevention.
The Turkish ambassador expressed willingness to support the initiative and confirmed that a technical delegation would visit Pakistan to assess potential areas of cooperation.
Both sides also explored measures to improve livestock health standards and establish disease-free zones, which could help Pakistan expand meat exports to international markets, including Türkiye.
The meeting reviewed progress on agricultural training arrangements, including a proposed programme for 100 Pakistani participants. An initial group of approximately 30 trainees is expected to travel to Türkiye.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified potential Turkish institutions, while coordination with the Higher Education Commission is underway to finalise participating universities, training disciplines and administrative arrangements.
Ambassador Neziroğlu offered to facilitate direct partnerships with Turkish universities specialising in agriculture.
The minister also referred to a recent visit by Pakistani livestock experts to Türkiye. The delegation is preparing recommendations on how Turkish expertise could be applied to Pakistan’s livestock sector.
Cooperation in olive cultivation and processing was another area of discussion.
Officials reviewed Türkiye’s earlier support through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) for an olive oil production facility in Muzaffarabad, reportedly benefiting around 5,000 farmers.
Pakistan expressed interest in extending similar processing and value-addition initiatives to olive-producing areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chakwal and Attock.
Both sides agreed to continue coordination through technical teams and relevant institutions to advance the proposed projects.