The process for identification of 25,000 acres land in Thatta and Badin Districts to launch the fish and shrimp farming project is in final stages, Sindh Chief Secretary Fazalur Rahman said here on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of K-1 auction hall for seafood exports to European Union at Karachi Fish Harbour. The auction hall has been developed under the recommendations of EU.
The ceremony was attended by government officials, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) representatives, seafood exporters and fishermen in large numbers.
The Chief Secretary commended the efforts for construction of the auction hall and said that the efforts bringing improvement at the harbour should not end only on K-1. "These should be sustained by replicating the initiative of K-1," he added.
Rahman said that two months back he had started to acquaint himself with the problems of the fisheries sector. "I am not oblivious of the requirements and demands of fisheries sector. We should overcome the problems it is faced with," he urged.
Referring to the improvement in the harbour and the hygienic conditions he remarked that it should have been done long ago, without any external pressure.
He called for unity among the stakeholders concerning fisheries to develop this neglected sector.
Secretary, Fisheries & Livestock, Sindh, appreciated the services of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) for making the harbour export-oriented, and said that Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) and Fishermen Co-operative Society also played a significant role in this regard.
He urged the seafood exporters to bring improvements in this sector, particularly for setting up state-of-the-art processing plants with value-added products having a great demand in international market.
KFHA Managing Director Dr Nawaz Baloch recalled the circumstances which led to the ban on seafood export to EU. "In view of this situation, it was decided to construct a new auction hall for exports to EU countries," he said.
On future projects, he said that KFHA intended to provide more and more facilities to harbour users and had worked out projects, but due to paucity of funds these could not be undertaken.
The President of Pakistan Seafood Industries Association (PSIA), Hanif Khan called for overhauling the whole of the harbour, as in the peak season one auction hall for EU could not cater to the needs.
He pointed out the problems of scarcity of water, electricity, shortage of raw material and rising cost of production, which are major impediments in development of this sector and are making the country's seafood products less competitive in international markets.
Emphasising the need for shrimp farming, Hanif said that Pakistan could earn $800 million from export of shrimps if shrimp farming is carried out on large scale. He also demanded subsidy on diesel for fishermen community.
Member Managing Committee FCS Shujaat Ali Qarni stressed the need for research in fisheries sector to tap its vast potential.
Unido Advisor Zawdo Felleike also spoke.