ISLAMABAD:
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has known as for pressing reforms within the fisheries sector, saying dependable power provide and decrease enter prices are crucial to boosting exports and producing sustainable income.
Talking at a gathering, the minister stated persistent electrical energy shortages and excessive power costs have been constraining manufacturing and eroding the worldwide competitiveness of Pakistani seafood exporters.
The remarks got here after Assistant Fisheries Commissioner Farhan Khan briefed individuals on structural gaps and operational challenges dealing with the sector.
The minister stated uninterrupted energy provide, reasonably priced feed and environment friendly energy technology have been important to unlock progress and assist the fisheries sector achieve recognition as a full-fledged trade.
“Pakistan has considerable uncooked materials, together with fish and shrimp, which might help value-added processing,” he added.
Officers informed the assembly that greater than 100 fish processing vegetation, starting from small items to giant business services, have been working throughout the nation, backed by about 400 registered exporters.
Most services have been concentrated in Karachi, with restricted infrastructure in Balochistan, whereas Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab lagged considerably in sectoral growth, they added.
In response to the UN Meals and Agriculture Organisation’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2022 report, fish and fish preparations ranked tenth amongst Pakistan’s prime export commodities within the 2024-25 fiscal 12 months, accounting for 1.34% of complete exports valued at $32.04 billion. The sector outperformed exports of vegatables and fruits, prescription drugs, sports activities items and surgical devices.
Globally, fish and fish merchandise are among the many most traded meals commodities, reaching round 230 international locations with a complete worth of $195 billion in 2022. Common per capita consumption stood at 20.7 kilogrammes and is projected to rise additional.
In Pakistan, fisheries contribute about 1% to the gross home product (GDP) and 4% to the agriculture sector, offering direct employment to a couple of million folks and oblique livelihood to round 1.5 million.
Through the 2024-25 fiscal 12 months, roughly 300,000 tonnes of fish and fish merchandise have been processed, with 30% exported for human consumption, 40% transformed into fish meal for poultry, dairy and aquaculture, and the rest used domestically.
The assembly was informed that Pakistani seafood was exported to greater than 40 markets, together with China, Gulf international locations, Southeast Asia, East Asia, the US and the European Union. By quantity, it ranks second amongst agricultural exports and generates about $500 million yearly, though earnings fluctuate as a consequence of regional competitors and pricing pressures.
