Seafood exporters have demanded of the government to play its role in lifting the European Union (EU) ban on seafood exports, saying that all the 11 seafood processing plants had been upgraded in line with the EU's specifications.
Addressing a press conference at a local hotel on Friday, the seafood exporters, including Pakistan Seafood Industries Association (PSIA) Chairman Sardar Muhammad Hanif Khan, S. Safder Rehmat, Syed Ali Raza Abedi, M. Faisal Iftikhar Ali and S.M. Iftikhar Zaidi, accused the concerned authorities of not playing their role for the improvement of fish harbour.
"If the ban on seafood export to the EU was not lifted, the grave situation at the local fish markets is feared to emerge, which will hit the local fishermen badly, as the exporter will not be able to purchase the commodity from them," they said.
They said that due to suspension of seafood export by the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD), the country had lost more than 0.20 million dollars in April and May this year. As a result, the country's seafood industry had suffered huge financial losses, besides losing potential buyers, they added.
If the ban on seafood export continued during August, September and October, which were believed to be the peak catch season of the marine species, as brown and kiddy shrimps were caught in bulks, the local market would be adversely affected, they added.
They said that these sea species were mainly exported to the EU, as there was no other potential market for them in the world. "Squid, Cuttle Fish and Soles are the major seafood items exported to the EU on higher prices," they said.
They said that traceability and cold chain were the two prime issues, which brought the country's export to the EU to a halt, which were being addressed in assistance with Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) and Fishermen Co-operative Society (FCS).
However, they held the MFD, FCS and KFHA responsible for the EU's ban on seafood export, saying that the EU's reservations were about the deficiencies of these three institutions.
Quoting the EU's final inspection report on seafood imports from Pakistan, they stated: "Non-complaint establishments should be suspended from the list of the EU approved establishment until such time as deficiencies have been corrected.
"Instead of suspending the approval of non-complaint, the MFD has suspended the approval of all 11 processing plants," they said, adding that this move by the MFD was unjustified and unfair.
They warned that if the EU ban continued, the country would suffer loss of 0.80 million-dollar foreign exchange and might result in closure of several processing plants. "The MFD will be responsible for the collapse of this industry in the wake of the EU's continued ban and non-action by the government authorities," they added.
"The MFD said that by July 15, seafood export to the EU will be resumed, which has not yet been fulfilled," they pointed out, and added that implementation of hygienic standards at Karachi Fish Harbour was the prime responsibility of the government.
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