The South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication in its latest report ‘the exploitation of fishermen and labourers in the fisheries sector in South Asia’ has stated that Pakistani small-scale fishermen and workers have not been able to obtain their fair share of the profits and benefits.
The report prepared by former Marine Director General of Marine Fisheries Department Moazzam Khan reveals that Pakistan’s seafood sector which is primarily derived from its marine resources supports more than a million people.
The 1,126-km coastline and offshore waters of Pakistan are the most important components of total fish production and export of seafood from Pakistan. Among marine fishes, demersal species are major contributors 47 per cent followed by small pelagic 27 per cent, large pelagic 14 per cent and shellfish 12 per cent.
Pakistan, as in the other countries of the South Asian region, has one of the lowest annual fish consumption per capita, exports most of its seafood to Southeast Asian countries as well as the Middle East. Additionally, larger markets are opening, especially countries like China which has a relatively larger demand base for seafood as compared to other countries in the region.
Under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, implemented in December, 2019, seafood products enjoyed considerably more tariff concession, which has resulted in a manifold increase in export.
Latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, as of May 2022, shows that export of selected frozen seafood increased considerably to $ 90.05 million in the first eleven months of Fiscal Year 2021-22.