KARACHI: Leadership crisis blamed for EU ban on fisheries
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, April 5: The leadership crisis faced by the fisheries sector since 2004 seems to have further deepened following the imposition of a ban on imports of Pakistani seafood by the European Union (EU) countries, one of the major importers, it has been reliably learnt here.
It has been also learnt that the federal government is considering various options to bring about effective changes in the working of Karachi Fish Harbour.
Sources said the EU ban has shocked all stakeholders, as it would not only deprive the country of foreign exchange earnings, it would also render thousands of fishermen jobless. The EU de-listed 11 Pakistani seafood processing plants for not meeting the hygiene requirements as required by the bloc.
Working conditions at the harbour had never been up to the mark. The situation has worsened after the sudden departure of naval personnel as a result of the leadership crisis persisting in the Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS), that has badly affected its performance.
Despite the fact, the Society’s elections to elect seven new directors to represent the fishermen community in the 15-member board were held, while the government had also named eight directors. But the board’s meeting has been postponed thrice by the government.
As a result, a tussle between government-nominated and elected directors started, as the elected directors blamed the government for imposing political figures on them.
According to fisheries sources, the FCS could not run its affairs smoothly due to a perpetual tussle between the high-ups of the Society and the elected directors, which required immediate attention for a solution, but complete chaos in the administration of the society reigns due to uncertain conditions.
Sources said the government-nominated leadership had not brought the required changes in the port operation. They argued that the present EU ban was imminent due to non-implementation of EU recommendations regarding fish handling on board fishing boats and at landing site (fish harbour).
They said an EU inspection team visited Pakistan from January 21 to 26. It was a follow-up visit to assess the condition of seafood units meant for export purposes to EU countries. The mission prepared an action plan and identified various shortcomings during the visit.
However, during its second visit, the inspection team noted that the shortcomings were not rectified and found serious deficiencies. The team was not satisfied with the conditions of approved fish processing units and it observed that fishery products meant for EU countries were not up to the mark and according to the provisions equivalent to those laid down in the community legislation.
The sources said the ban has totally exposed the performance of key organizations mainly responsible for the operation of the port and also those who are responsible for the landing and storage of seafood.
