October 31, 2007

Pakistan hopes seafood exports to EU will resume by year-end

Pakistan's seafood exports to the EU are expected to resume before the new calendar year, local media reported.

Exports are exported to resume soon as both the federal and the Sindh government are working to renovate and re-model boats to suit EU requirements, thenews.com reported.

Sindh is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. 

The requirement to remodel boats operating in the Arabian Sea along Karachi and Balochistan is the final hurdle for the country to clear before EU requirements are met, officials told thenews.com.

The EU banned seafood exports from Pakistan in March 2007 due to sanitary issues centred on its harbour, boats and warehouses.

The ban has resulted in millions in lost revenue. More than half of Pakistan's seafood exports, worth US$188 million last year, went to EU countries.

The government, heavily criticised by the industry for ignoring earlier EU warnings, has engaged the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to address the issues. Since then, the team has forwarded its recommendations and also educated the fishing sector on relevant issues.

The Sindh government is also undertaking administrative reforms to meet EU requirements, sources said.