ISLAMABAD: The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has started process for the implementation of the ‘Fisheries Action Plan’, proposed by Sindh government, for more targeted investment in the fisheries and aquaculture sector to meet modern requirements for quality, efficiency and profitability.

FAO-Pakistan, through the European Union-assisted Food Security and Nutrition Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST) programme, is seeking to help deepen the dialogue between different sectors with a stake in food security, through its policy assistance service, supporting evidence-based decision-making and analysis of proposed policy frameworks and action plans.

The Sindh government had proposed the plan under the Sindh Agriculture Policy 2018-2030. Its implementation will be overseen by the Sindh Agriculture Policy Implementation Commission (SAPIC) headed by provincial minister for agriculture, supply and prices. It includes the government institutions concerned, farmers’ associations, private sector and academia.

The draft action plan was discussed at length in Karachi on Tuesday with the participants who articulated their considered views in plenary and group sessions. After completion of the discussions, the action plan will be presented to the commission for approval.

Leading the consultations, FAO policy officer Genevieve Hussain said the federal and provincial governments needed to arrive at compromises that could meet the desire of different-sized fishing operations, nutritional requirement of people, and economic aspirations of the fishing community.

She said the government, through the implementation of the policy, was keen to create an efficient, prosperous and resilient food production sector that could ensure good income and decent employment for those involved in fisheries and aquaculture sector and at the same time provide safe and nutritious food to urban and rural populations.

Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Secretary Aijaz Ahmed Mahesar appreciated FAO’s interest in formulation of the policy and development of action plans, saying that without an action plan there could be no budget allocation, therefore, it was essential that “we have this plan agreed and in place so that the policy is implemented properly”.

The provincial government will facilitate a strategy by working with industry to restructure the sector and create a regulatory framework to encourage finance institutions and private sector to invest in fisheries and aquaculture and to adopt technological improvements along the value chain, he added.

He said the provincial government was strongly committed to its agriculture policy and wanted to leverage public resources in a smart way to support fisheries and aquaculture industries.

The livestock and fisheries secretary, marine fisheries director general and representatives of International Trade Centre, World Wildlife Fund, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, private fisheries businesses as well as seafood processors and exporters attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, FAO in its report released on Tuesday said that global fisheries and aquaculture had been hard hit by Covid-19 pandemic and could face further disruption this year as lockdowns affected supply and demand across the sector.

Fish supply, consumption and trade revenues are all expected to see a decline due to containment restrictions, while global aquaculture production is expected to fall by some 1.3 per cent, the first fall recorded by the sector in several years.

At the same time, consumer demand for packaged and frozen products increased from the second quarter of 2020 as households looked to stock up on non-perishable food. High-value fresh fish and aquatic food demand has fallen as restaurants and hotels stand closed, or partially closed, owing to Covid-19 and related restrictions.

World’s apparent per capita fish consumption has significantly grown during the last few decades, from 9kg in the 1960s to about 20.3kg in 2017. At the global level, fish accounts for about 17pc of the world population’s intake of animal proteins and provides about 3.3 billion people with almost 20pc of their average per capita intake of animal proteins and 5.4bn people with 10pc of such proteins.

About 89pc of fish production is directed to human consumption, with the rest destined to non-food uses, including reduction into fish meal and fish oil.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2021