Pakistan’s GMO Soy ban removal fuels poultry revival as feed cuts expected

Pakistani poultry farmers are heavily investing in beefing up the supply chain, anticipating huge price relief on the feed market as the first batches of GMO (genetically modified organisms) soybeans are about to enter the country.

Poultry feed prices in Pakistan are set to fall in the next few weeks as the market looks forward to getting the first shipments of GMO soybeans in February, Dr F. M. Sabirs, Chairman of Sabirs’ Poultry, has recently told local press. Price relief is already taking place, he added.

“Considering the current market prices and the expected increase in supply in the soybean market, feed mills are already lowering their prices,” he said.

It is estimated that Pakistani may import GMO soybeans worth $1.5 billion in 2025.

The Pakistani government’s decision to lift the ban on GMO soybean imports in November 2024, after years of heated debates, has been a boon for the poultry industry. This move, which was welcomed by the Pakistani Poultry Association, is expected to bring relief to nearly 60% of poultry breeders who were adversely affected by the crisis, with many facing bankruptcy.

Poultry industry rebound

In 2025, the Pakistani poultry industry, which was in a deepening slump during the past few years, will experience a major rebound.

Dr Sabir said that farmers are growing noticeably more optimistic. “The industry is already increasing the number of broilers and returning to expansion mode, and we hope to return to our previous broiler placement volumes of 14.5 million heads per year,” he said.

As a result of the feed industry crisis, broiler production last year dropped to 11 million heads. This figure, Dr Sabir admitted, was insufficient to meet even the domestic demand.

In 2023-2024, Pakistan produced 1.4 million tonnes of poultry per year and 11.2 million eggs, the Pakistani Poultry Association estimated.

Consumption to rise

Significant changes are anticipated in retail. Dr Sabir said that thanks to rising supply, chicken prices, which skyrocketed in recent years, are projected to fall.

“This will also help increase chicken consumption,” Dr Sabir said. The positive development should coincide with the general improvement in the Pakistani economy anticipated in 2025.

In 2023–2024, Pakistan consumed 3.80 kg of poultry meat per person per year, the Pakistani Poultry Association. Poultry accounts for 40% to 45% of the meat consumption in the country as this share tends to grow.