Minister Calls for Tax Reforms to Strengthen Pakistan's Dairy Sector
A federal minister has called for comprehensive tax rationalisation and structural reforms in Pakistan's dairy sector, arguing that targeted policy intervention is essential to boost productivity, ensure food safety standards, and improve nutritional outcomes for the country's population. The minister made the remarks at an industry engagement event on Sunday.
Pakistan's dairy sector, one of the largest in Asia by herd size, has long struggled with low productivity, fragmented supply chains, and inadequate cold-chain infrastructure. The minister identified these structural deficiencies as the primary barriers to unlocking the sector's export potential and improving domestic nutritional security.
The call for tax rationalisation is directed at reducing the cost burden on dairy processors and distributors, which officials argue has contributed to substandard practices and informality across the value chain. Structural reforms under discussion include investment incentives for dairy processing facilities and stricter enforcement of hygiene and quality standards.
Industry stakeholders welcomed the minister's statement as a signal of government intent, though they cautioned that implementation timelines and coordination between federal and provincial food safety authorities would be critical to achieving meaningful outcomes in a sector that touches millions of smallholder farmers across the country.
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