Pakistan's seafood exports grew 3.2 percent in value year-on-year to USD 201.6 million (EUR 177.8 million) in the second half of 2021.
Sales in December were at USD 51 million (EUR 45 million), rising 78.2 percent from a year earlier but falling 5.6 percent month-on-month, data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
China was the largest buyer of seafood products from Pakistan, accounting for around 60 percent of the latter’s total seafood exports. Thanks to the second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, effective December 2019, Pakistan’s seafood exports to China surged 83.7 percent year-on-year to USD 73.9 million (EUR 65.2 million) in the first seven months of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, according to Daily Times.
However, like other seafood-exporting nations, Pakistan was also hit by hurdles in accessing the Chinese market during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine out of Pakistan's top 15 seafood exporters have been temporarily barred from exporting to China after coronavirus was found on the outer packaging of their cargoes, Pakistan-based Qadri Noori Enterprise CEO Manzar Alam said.
Alam said the bans from Chinese authorities have put Pakistan’s seafood exports into a “crisis,” as China is the top destination for seafood from Pakistan. About 50 Pakistani seafood companies were shipping their products to China.
Pakistan Fisheries Export Association’s Chairman Muhammad Zafar Kundi said, despite the difficulties, the country has set a goal of USD 1 billion (EUR 882 million) in seafood exports in 2022, up from USD 450 million (EUR 397 million) in 2021.
However, Pakistan's seafood exports are heavily reliant on capture fisheries, a sector that is challenged by adverse weather conditions and a lack of modern fishing and processing technology.
“We are still using old methods that consume more electricity and add to the expenses. There is only one factory that has just started working on nitrogen-based quick-freezing. We should use the latest technology because it freezes products fast and maintains their quality,” Hei5 International Food Pakistan CEO Muhammad RafiqueAwan told the Daily Times.
Photo courtesy of Iqbal Akhtar Hussain/Shutterstock
