ISLAMABAD: The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) is involved in improving the fishery sector in Pakistan because this industry has a competitive advantage and potential to grow, says Arthur Bayhan, CEO of the CSF.

He said on Tuesday that Pakistan has a fish and seafood industry that includes ancillary industries worth 1.2 billion dollars and more than one million people rely directly or indirectly on this industry. An average Pakistani eats less than 2.5 kilos of fish per year, one of the lowest per capita consumption in the world. The average consumption per year per capita is around 15kilos, he said. 

CSF, a joint initiative of the Pakistan’s finance ministry, and the United States Agency for International Development (UsAid), carried out an action plan for fish quality and value adding at Karachi Fish Harbor (KFH) by identifying the obstacles and problems that the harbor faces.

The action plan identified a number of obstacles, foremost of which is that the industry is under threat from two sides, he said. One is over fishing, which reduces the resource base and hence the yields. The other is poor quality control, which means that the value of the catch is not maximised and much is wasted, he said.

The CSF action plan has made a number of recommendations. These include the re-organisation of the management structure of KFH aimed at resolving the positions of the fishermen’s cooperative society and the auctioneers (“moles”) and a proposal to contract out the management via a company structure, he said.

The action plan, he said, also recommends the physical rehabilitation of the infrastructure, better water supply, more ice-making, rationalising the number of boats in the harbor, improving the sewage system and up-grading auction halls.

The outcome of these recommendations will see an increase in the annual value of the catch of 35 million dollars resulting from improved quality and better market prices, he said, it will also help reduce trash fish used for animal feed at loss-making prices.

Furthermore, it will restore a loss of 60 million dollars (30 per cent of value of exports) exports to Europe annually by restoring the EU listings for fish processors, he said.

As a result of these recommendations CSF received great support from the federal government. The provincial government shows keen interest in taking key measures to improve the KFH which plays a crucial role for export of the seafood from Pakistan, he said.

Following the recommendations made by CSF, a new KFH board of directors is constituted that includes relevant stakeholders from the private sector, he added. 

“Some 50 stainless steel hand pallet trucks are introduced along with plastic pallets of fish and related products from the jetty to the auction hall. Plastic crates are provided to handle fish and fish products at jetties and the auction hall. Provision of potable water is ensured for the cleaning of jetties and auction halls. Fumigation is carried out in the auction halls and the same is being done on the boats”.

Similarly a proper record is being maintained of all outgoing boats. Modified boats are being berthed in front of K-I and K-II jetties and an organoleptic record is being kept. Abandoned boats were removed from the channel. Section 144, under the Pakistan Penal Code, is also imposed on betel leaf chewing, spitting, smoking etc, he said.

A total of 89 boats, including 71 large boats and 18 small ones, were upgraded or repaired through financing by the provincial government. Around 28 boats, 16 large and 12 small, were upgraded through private financing, he said. A contract was given to a private sector consultancy company to develop a master plan for the harbor.

In close collaboration with the Fisheries Ministry, CSF developed a road map to remove further obstacles and improve the fish quality and adding value for the export, he said. 

The road map developed by CSF recommends contracting out of KFH in respect of a management company to be brought into, specifically take over and manage the operations and assets in the harbor. It also calls for identifying potential management companies to participate in the ‘tendering’ procedure.

CSF further carried out an action plan on the Korangi Fish Harbor and proposed that to declare it a special economic zone for sea food processing industry, he said. It further recommends that a specialised international company must be brought in, to manage fishing at the harbor and set up a warehouse for seafood catch to be connected with a prospective warehouse in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic as well as the transfer of the harbor’s ownership from the Federal to the Provincial Government, has also been suggested.

Shaukat Tareen has planned to take up the matter with the Federal Cabinet as well as with the provincial government for the implementation of these recommendations, he said.