e story of Pakistan’s food export sector is one of paradoxes: while boasting record-breaking breakthroughs, it remains overshadowed by systemic inefficiencies that threaten its long-term sustainability.

Reflecting on the recent data, one cannot help but feel a mixture of pride and apprehension. On one hand, we revel in the historic $8 billion export milestone achieved in the 2023-24 fiscal year, a 37 per cent leap over the previous year. On the other, we are haunted by the systemic inefficiencies that threaten to dismantle this fragile ascent. This duality encapsulates Pakistan’s struggle: a nation brimming with potential yet shackled by its infrastructural and policy shortcomings.

Ahmed Raza’s experience as a finance professional grappling with the challenges of fulfilling a major meat export order illustrates the broad issues plaguing our export sector. His inability to rely on organised farming infrastructure, coupled with soaring transportation costs, underscores a recurring theme: our export success often feels like a house of cards, vulnerable to collapse under the weight of inefficiencies. Despite a historic boom in meat exports to the Middle East, reaching $430.89 million, the lack of robust supply chains, quality standards and modernised practices continues to hold us back from realising our potential.

Such stories beg the question: is our recent success a product of strategic brilliance, or merely a fortunate alignment of external factors? It has been argued that while Pakistan’s meat exports to the Middle East surged to $430.89 million, this achievement was less a........

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