The EU is 'most likely' to lift its four-year ban on Pakistan's seafood imports to its markets in a month's time, as the government has met the Union's all conditions to ensure catch and supply of the food on global hygienic standards.
In an exclusive interview with Business Recorder, the new Managing Director (MD) of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA), Abdul Ghani Jokhio, said that the Authority has achieved the task to streamline the harbour business and activities- a main condition of the EU to lift the ban. "In a month, the EU will open the seafood business with Pakistan," he added.
"Pakistan ha not been banned by the EU; rather, it had de-listed some seafood exporting factories from its import index," he said, adding that the country's correspondence was taking place with the EU and hopefully the ban would go within a month period.
He said that the Authority also wanted the Fishermen's Co-operative Society (FCS) - a fishermen welfare organisation to step up and shoulder its prime responsibilities--to regularise its key matters in order to improve the fish harbour condition.
He said that the FCS had to stop using the government's domain for its financial matters, confessing that political pressure was so "high" barring the Authority from asking the society to regularise its affairs in line with the rules. "But I cannot compromise on these issues".
Jokhio said that the Authority was also seeking government's help for allocation of Rs 4 billion for initiating the master plan to build the fish harbour on modern lines, adding that "funds allocation is required as talks with the government is underway".
He said the Authority had also requested Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to help it dredge the fish harbour's filthy navigational channel so that more boats could be allowed to sail in easily. "KPT has agreed to dredge the channel," the KFHA MD added.
He pointed out that the Authority had its plan to shift the boat building industry from fish harbour to somewhere on KPT's land near the shore when the government master plan would be approved. "The KFHA will, however, continue to facilitate the boat building sector, even afterwards," he made it clear.
About the unregistered fishing boats, he said that all sailing vessels were registered, and the Authority would not allow any unlisted boat to anchor or set sail from the fish harbour. He said the idle boats, anchored inside the harbour's channel, would be flushed out if their owners did not reply to the notices, which the KFHA had served on them.
"The Authority sent notices to the owners of idle boat parked inside the harbour channel to drive them out in a week's time; else the Authority will auction them with the view to cleanse the channel, and create more space for active fishing vessels," Jokhio added.
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