KARACHI: Govt to give top priority to fisheries’ development
KARACHI, March 25: The government is determined to give the fisheries’ sector the due attention it deserves as a source of food and an industry, especially in view of the alarming population growth, said Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind.
He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session of a workshop on “Fisheries’ management in Saarc countries for sustainable development in the new millennium”, here on Tuesday.
The minister was of the view that inter-country cooperation in South Asia had a major role for successful development and management of fisheries for prosperity of the region.
He said the development of this sector would also help raise the standard of living of the fishermen’s community. Therefore, he added, the sustainable development of fisheries and the present status of production, consumption, demand, supply and trade of fish are being reviewed.
In spite of their geographical proximity to one another, the seven Saarc countries are significantly different in size, shape, formation, climate, population, natural resources as well as religion and political philosophy, but all are developing nations and fall in the same economic category.
To strengthen their economic and social standing vis-a-vis other sub-regions, these countries formed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to work together for collective improvement in all spheres involving the economic and social well being of its people.
The minister was confident that inter-country cooperation in South Asia had a major role for the successful development and management of fisheries’ sector.
He said with different eating habits, preference for different varieties of fish and relative abundance of the available species, there are many opportunities for trade by exchange of fish that one country prefers and another does not.
Mr Rind said that some fish may also be bartered for other kind of food items. Improved sharing of technical knowledge in agriculture and fisheries would boost not only the overall fisheries’ output but also that of agriculture in all member countries.
He believed that an organized collective plan for the export of fish to countries outside the sub-region would help reduce competition within the area and strengthen bargaining capacity with larger quantities for each shipment — a steady supply of more varieties of fish and its products, such as seaweeds, shark fins, tuna and ornamental fish.
Federal Secretary for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Salik Nazir said there were about 5.5 million fishermen in South Asia, including full-time and part-time fishermen.
He said less than one per cent of the region’s population appeared to be engaged in fishing and that more than 50 per cent of the fishermen were in India.
The official was of the view that it is about time to organize a collective plan for production of fish, export, trade and transfer of technology among the Saarc countries for the betterment of the people of this region which are one fifth of the world population.
He said that sustainable agriculture development, including the contribution of the fisheries’ sector, had assumed utmost importance both to ensure adequate supplies of food at an affordable price and as a main source of economic and social progress for the rural poor.
He said the need of the hour was to eradicate poverty, hunger, instability and unemployment in the region in order to create a peaceful and equitable environment for prosperity of the people.
He said “we look forward for the cooperation of member countries in formulation of multilateral policy for implementation of the UN codes and the WTO regulations for sustainable development of fisheries’ sector of the member states.”
The Director-General, Marine Fisheries Department, Commodore S.Q. Raza, said all Saarc member countries would have to make concerted efforts to help resolve the problems of the region.—APP
