EXPORTS of seafood are picking up now after falling for last two years. With the facility for exporting frozen seafood to China via land route to be in place from April, coupled with quality certification, the growth trend is expected to continue for some time.

However, key issues undermining the fisheries development, need to be resolved to sustain export growth as well as meet growing domestic market requirements.

In 1HFY17, fish exports and preparations fetched $183.5m, up (more than 10pc) from $166m in the same period of FY16. Earlier in the entire FY16, these exports were down 7pc to $325m, and in FY15 too, export earnings of $349m were 5.4pc lower than $369.5m in FY14.

China has emerged as the single biggest market for Pakistani shrimp, oyster, lobster and crab, and the second largest market for fish

“It seems seafood exports move in a cycle,” says a leading exporter based in Karachi. “We see exports growing for a year or two. And, then a downward trend sets in, continuing for a few years.”

Since export pricing of our seafood rises quite slowly due to less-attractive packaging and less-efficient bargains, accelerating the export earnings requires a big long-term effort. And, “that is quite difficult as local consumption is growing fast and enrichment of fishing resources requires some time and sincere efforts.”

After hitting an all-time high of 926,000 tonnes in FY10, the total fish production (including marine and inland catch) has remained range-bound between 700,000-765,000 tonnes, official stats show. Up to 20pc of fish production is exported and the remaining is consumed domestically. This ratio varies a little with rise and fall in exports.

Exporters lament that in the absence of reliable statistics on the growth rate and pattern of local consumption, they cannot make a detailed, long-term marketing strategy.

Many of them prefer compensating a decline in exports by larger local sales (when supplies are low and local prices are lucrative) and delay export-boosting plans, industry sources say.

And fish traders, who cater mostly to domestic markets, suspend supplies to export houses of certain varieties of fish whenever their hauling runs into snags.

Rampant violations of rules of fishing in deep sea, that involve the use of over-sized trawlers or fishing in restricted regions where fish breeding is encouraged and the use of fishing nets that haul in even juvenile fish, make it difficult to boost the fish population within our exclusive sea zone.

Similarly, rivers and streams across Pakistan are not maintained regularly, keeping in view their potential fish yields, and fishing there is not carried out systematically.

Fish farming in rural and urban areas are being supported by the government, but their annual yields are limited and enough investment is not trickling in to raise their annual production.

These and other similar issues need well-integrated responses, both from the government as well as from the private sector, for ensuring development of fisheries sector to create jobs and promote protein food supplies in the country, as well as to give exports a big rise.

Fish exporters have made successful inroads into China, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Japan and some west African countries after the EU banned imports from Pakistan in April 2007.

They continue to cater to these markets efficiently even after the ban was lifted in February 2013. The traditional Middle Eastern market, meanwhile, has been retained, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have lately become more competitive export destinations, with increased fish imports from Egypt, India and China.

China has, in fact, emerged as the single biggest market for Pakistani shrimp, oyster, lobster and crab, and the second largest market for fish, with the combined market of six GCC countries on the top.

The Chinese market is set to expand. In a trial operation last month, about 7.5m tonnes of different varieties of fish and shrimp were exported from Gwadar to China’s Guangdong province via land route of Khunjerab. This is going to become a regular affair from April.

Exporters say Pakistan can easily boost seafood exports to $1bn in three to five years if production is constantly augmented by: implementing an effective ban on hauling of juvenile fish from designated breeding areas; promoting modern inland fishing methods; and incentivising fish farming across the country.

They hope that the growing trend in quality certification of seafood should help boost exports. In last two fiscal years, Quality Control Section of Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) has issued more than 25,000 certificates of quality, origin and health of Pakistan’s exportable seafood which, according to them, is a record.

Officials of MFD say that fishing licences against vacant slots are being issued to local companies for operating in deep sea, adding that this would help increase the tuna fish catch, which is the most expensive.

They say that after detailed analysis of samples of sea water of the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan, authorities are determining the parameters that affect fish distribution patterns.

On the basis of a study of samples of key species of Pakistani fish including Mahasher and various varieties of Rohu, measures are being taken to accelerate their breeding, and fiberglass-coated lining of fish holds have been introduced among farmers for safe and effective fishing.

Besides, about 1200 fish boats of the total 4,000 plus have been upgraded in recent years, enabling fish farmers to preserve fish hauls on boats for a longer period.

Exporters believe there is also a need to boost export marketing by setting up a virtual trading hall in public-private partnership, by seeking greater cooperation of our embassies and high commissions in export lobbying, and by holding exclusive seafood exhibitions, both at home, as well as in major export markets, periodically.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, February 27th, 2017