Earlier this month, the federal government announced a restriction on the import of 38 luxury and non-essential commodities in order to rein in the swelling import bill and widening current account imbalance.
Pet food was included on the list of restricted imported commodities, with a monthly import of about $6.4 million during FY 2021-22, accounting for less than 1% of the total monthly value of the banned imported items.
The situation infuriated pet owners and animal caregivers around the country, who said that they are afraid for their cats, dogs, and zoo animals due to a shortage of high-quality local pet food brands.
The federal authorities eased the restriction on the import of two products, despite widespread criticism. The government exempted ‘energy savers’ and ‘other than cat and dog feed’ in an official announcement.
The federal authorities eased the restriction on the import of two products, despite widespread criticism. The government exempted ‘energy savers’ and ‘other than cat and dog feed’ in an official announcement.
The notification was misconstrued and misreported by the majority of the country’s media outlets. According to media reports, the government has relaxed the prohibition on the import of cat and dog food.
However, it has just come to light that the government did not exclude cat and dog food. In reality, with the exception of cat and dog food, the government exempted all animal food. This implies that the import prohibition on cat and dog food remains in effect.
To read our blog on “Pet food import ban might kill millions of animals,” click here.