President of Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), Zahid Hussain said that Pakistan has acquired the capability to issue the certificate for the safety of food which is to boost exports. Pakistani exporters who were focused on the Middle East and other countries where safety standards were not stringent but with the establishment of Veterinary Residue Laboratory in Faisalabad they can export food like beef and mutton to US and EU markets, he said.
He said that the laboratory, established by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has recently earned International Organisation for Standardisation accreditation which is a great achievement. He said that now Pakistani exporters will get the facility of ISO certification at home saving their time and money while chances of rejection of consignments will come down significantly as EU had rejected 134 consignments of food from Pakistan in one year.
The laboratory can text 1000 samples per annum which must be enhanced as Pakistan is producing one of the finest food and meat in the world with very little export, he observed. The latest development can increase the share of livestock in the GDP which currently stands at 12 percent while government can consider establishing a dedicated ministry for this vibrant sector.