KARACHI, Oct 14: Exporters fear a slump in export of fisheries to European countries in case commercial activities at the K-1 Auction Hall suspended by the marine fisheries department (MFD) are not resumed immediately.

The impact of suspension of K-1 Hall activities is not visible now because exporters are managing EU export shipments through the Vendor Assurance Programme (VAP) that allows them to buy fish directly from the boats and bring them to their factories.

More than 60 per cent supply of fish is routed through the K-1 Hall, while some exporters enjoy direct landing of the seafood to their processing units from the approved fishing boats under the VAP. This kind of arrangement for exports enjoys less than 30 per cent share.

Out of total $200 million of country’s seafood export, the share of the EU ranges between 30 and 40 per cent.

“Currently landing of fish, especially big shrimps, at the harbour is very low, therefore, exporters are sending their EU shipments under the VAP,” Pakistan Seafood Industries Association (PSIA) chairman Sardar Hanif Khan told Dawn.

“Exports will face problems when fish landing at the harbour will increase in future. The VAP cannot cater to the need of exports in bulk landing of fish,” he said.

Mr Khan said that he along with the secretary implementation, Sindh government, Nazar Hussain Mehar, and the managing director of the Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KFHA) had visited the K-1 Hall on Saturday where hygienic conditions had improved a lot. He said that the marine fisheries department had suspended the K-1 Hall activities on minor deficiencies.

“The department is making mockery of its own. Some times they stop issuance of health certificate to exporters and then resume it afterwards. Now the department has shifted its focus towards the K-1 Hall activities,” Mr Khan said.

On October 12, KFHA managing director Dr Mohammad Nawaz Baloch in a letter to MFD director general Commodore (retd) S.Q. Raza lamented the suspension of activities at the K-1 Hall for export to EU countries. He said that the director general had inspected the auction hall without any prior intimation to the KFHA and suspended all activities.

He asked the MFD DG as to why he did not find any major deficiency when he visited the hall on August 26 when all the stakeholders were also present. While work was under process on minor deficiencies/shortcomings pointed by his department, the MFD DG suddenly suspended the activities.

The KFHA MD has lambasted the fisheries department for creating problems and damaging the entire fishing industry which earns precious foreign exchange through exports and is a main source of livelihood for thousands of people.

Dr Baloch urged the fisheries department to revive the K-1 Hall activities immediately otherwise production and export would be badly affected for no reasons.

Fisheries people said that the MFD director general had been propagating on all forums and workshops only one thing that he would put a ban on export like he manipulated and enforced the ban in February 2005, which reduced exports to mere $130 million against around $200 million this fiscal year, with less interference by him.