Pakistan’s Marine Fisheries Department has approved mesh size for fish and shrimp catch under the instructions of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), one official told The News on Saturday.
After several experiments, the department approved 55 millimeters (mm) square mesh size for the catch of fish and 30mm square panel for the catch of shrimp, he said.
Earlier, three experiments of 25mm, 30mm and 40mm mesh sizes had failed as there was zero escapement of juvenile fish from them, said the official. Those were insignificant nets and the result was not good, he said.
Pakistan fisheries authorities are complying over instructions of the UN and European Union (EU) for better and healthy fishing. We checked mesh sizes under the code of conduct for responsible fisheries’ as instructed by FAO, he said.
All other fisheries departments have also agreed on these mesh sizes, which will be approved next week, he added.
The Marine Fisheries Department has also started formal document exchange with the EU and the step by step recommendations are being sent for lifting of the ban. We have to maintain hygienic conditions as there is no compromise on food safety, said the official.
Almost all demands of the EU were met, he said, and traceability of the fish catch was being maintained. He hoped there would be some positive news by the end of next month.
Furthermore, harbour conditions have improved and the Pakistani seafood reached to the required quality by the EU. Marine Fisheries Department sent formal recommendations and observations of the harbour to EU in order to lift the ban, but EU has not reply to any of the communications and demanded more documents, said the official.
Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association Chairman Faisal Iftikhar said that there was some progress in the communications and Marine Fisheries Department was sending further documents and observations to the EU. We are hopeful, he said.
The lifting of ban would result in increase of seafood exports at least by $50 million to around $350 million from current exports of $295 million.
The EU had asked the Marine Fisheries Department to send its observations of harbour and seafood traceability to the EU, so that quality of seafood can be checked before allowing export to its member countries.
Officials said that the EU mission wanted to visit Pakistan but due to poor law and order situation in Karachi they were changing their visit time and again.
In order to get the EU market back, the fisheries authorities have taken several measures to improve the whole system.
Sindh government started Rs558-million project for improvement of the conditions. Priority has been given to boat modification and more than 400 boats have been modified. Boat modification costs around Rs0.2 million to Rs1.3 million and the 75 percent cost is paid by the government.
Two auction halls have also been improved besides making Korangi Fish Harbour functional.
The European Union de-listed all Pakistani seafood exporters in April 2007 and the ban has remained since then. Out of the 28 processing units, 11 had been exporting to the EU, but currently, none of them is listed.
When an EU mission visited the harbour in 2007, they found some deficiencies both at the harbour and at their processing units. The EU’s directorate of Food and Veterinary submitted their 25-page findings to Pakistani authorities showing concern.
Mainly there were two main deficiencies, lack of traceability and deficient cold chain. Under the cold chain, temperature has to be maintained at 6 degrees Celsius for fresh fish and -12 degrees Celsius for frozen fish.
If EU had allowed Pakistani seafood, the export could have crossed US$350 million as kidney shrimp did not get good price in other market compared to EU. Out of total export of US$194 million in 2005-06, export to EU was over 25 percent with US$50.059 million.
Besides, export to EU was a benchmark for other countries. Even, a country like China asks for export registration number for the EU market, said one official of the Marine Fisheries Department.
In the absence of the EU market, Pakistan’s seafood export noted significant increase to China, UAE, Thailand, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
The News International