May 3 2010

Pakistani fishermen seek government support in shrimp, lobster exports

Local fishermen seek the government's support for exporting shrimp and lobster to earn maximum profit from their own seafood catch, instead of selling them to the processing factories at fish harbour.

The other reason was to end the monopoly of the few seafood exporters whom, the fishermen said, were exploiting them by purchasing their catch arbitrarily at lower rates despite the global market price surge.

"We demand the federal finance minister to help us in exporting the seafood so that the fishermen could earn more profit for their catch without worries around the year," said Asif Bhatti, president of Bona Fide Fishermen and Boat Owners Welfare Association.

He also urged the Sindh Fisheries Minister Zahid Ali Bhurgari for permanent end to the ban during June on fishing, saying that legislation had become urgent to amend the existing laws regarding the two months annual fishing restrictions. In addition, he demanded the government to provide financial compensation to the fishermen during the July fishing ban period, as they had no other source of income to maintain their families after mooring their boats at coast for a month.

Fishermen had held talks with the ministry for a help to export the fresh catch of shrimp and lobster species in first phase to the Middle East markets and later to some small European countries.

Bhatti said that fishermen were aware of the EU ban on Pakistan's seafood products, their export strategy would be first to export the catch to the UAE and Iranian markets and from there to the EU markets.

"It is not necessary the EU market must receive seafood products with made-in-Pakistan brand, our aim is to reach the destination, which can be with any other brand name e.g. the UAE," he said.

The process of exporting shrimp and lobster would complete more likely by June this year, according to Bhatti. Direct engagements with global markets would help the fishermen understand the global trend for seafood products and their rates while offering their products to global buyers at lower prices, he added.