Pakistan is seeking to expand exports of elite buffalo embryos and dairy genetics to China as Islamabad looks to diversify agricultural exports and deepen livestock biotechnology cooperation with its largest trading partner, officials said on Thursday.
Pakistan and China have already been cooperating in buffalo embryo technology and breeding programs in recent years, including commercial exports of embryos from Pakistan’s prized Neeli Ravi buffalo breed to China. Chinese demand for dairy genetics has grown alongside efforts to improve milk production and livestock productivity through advanced breeding technologies.
Pakistan’s livestock sector accounts for more than 60 percent of the country’s agriculture economy, with officials increasingly promoting high-yield indigenous breeds such as the Neeli Ravi buffalo and Sahiwal cattle as potential export assets.
“Detailed discussions were held regarding the growing potential of buffalo embryo exports from Pakistan to China and the broader opportunities for collaboration in livestock genetics, dairy productivity, and modern breeding technologies,” Pakistan’s food security ministry said in a statement after a meeting between Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and a Chinese delegation in Islamabad.
“Increasing global demand for elite dairy genetics presents significant export and investment opportunities for Pakistan’s livestock sector,” the ministry said.
The statement added that the Chinese delegation expressed “strong interest” in expanding cooperation in animal genetics and embryo transfer technologies.
Pakistan’s Neeli Ravi buffalo breed, primarily found in Punjab, is internationally recognized for high milk yields and strong genetic characteristics.
Embryo transfer involves implanting fertilized embryos from genetically superior animals into surrogate animals to rapidly expand high-quality livestock populations.
Pakistan first opened formal trade channels for buffalo embryo exports to China in 2022 after Chinese customs authorities approved imports of embryos produced in Pakistan through in-vitro fertilization technology.
In 2024, Pakistan exported 10,000 Neeli Ravi buffalo embryos to China in what officials described as the country’s first commercial buffalo embryo export deal. More than 400 calves have since reportedly been born in China through embryo transfer programs using Pakistani buffalo genetics. “Pakistan’s premium dairy breeds can play an important role in strengthening agricultural trade cooperation with friendly countries, especially China,” the statement quoted Food Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain as saying.
The ministry said discussions also focused on establishing regulatory frameworks and material transfer agreements aimed at protecting Pakistan’s genetic ownership rights while facilitating long-term international cooperation in livestock biotechnology.