SEAFOOD EXPORTS: CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD
Muhammad Sharif*, Muhammad Azam Niazi* and Abdul Jabbar**
ABSTRACT
Fisheries as a sub-sector of agriculture, is considered as one of the most important economic activity along the coastline of provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. This paper assesses current stock of seafood production, seafood exports, direction and future prospects of seafood exports from Pakistan. The production of inland and marine fish was 729,000 t in 2012-13. Not only seafood output in the country is low but dwindling to the disastrous level. Export of seafood has increased from 131,620 t (a value of US$ 315.5 million) in 2011-12 to 136,360 t (a value of US$ 333.13 million) in 2012-13, with an annual increase of 9.5% in term of quantity and 4.5% in term of value. Decline in seafood resources, lack of shrimp culture, insufficient facilities at fish markets, inadequate fishing policies and low export prices of seafood are major challenges faced by fisheries sector of Pakistan. Sustainable conservation of marine resources, promotion of shrimp culture, enhancement of the fish processing for export, provision of adequate facilities at fish markets and formulation of sustainable fishing policies are ways forward for the sustainable development of seafood resources development in the country.
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