Ahmed Khan Malik

The Karachi fish harbor upgradation project is moving at a snail’s pace, though it was launched many years ago. It’s Pakistan’s largest fish harbor, needing upgradation to meet the international safety standards, reports WealthPK.Owing to the poor conditions at the harbour, the European Union (EU) suspended the import of fisheries and shrimps from Pakistan many years ago, prompting the Sindh government to upgrade the harbour as per international standards.Supply of water to the harbor, installation of modern drainage system and CCTV cameras, modern electrification, and construction of check posts, iron bridges, and floating jetties are part of the project, show the related official documents.

However, the improvement work has not picked up and the project is still incomplete, increasing the cost due to high inflation and a sharp dollar appreciation in the last two and half years.“We are facing problems due to incomplete upgradation of the fish harbor, as delay in completion of the project is causing adverse impacts on the fisheries exports,” Masood Khan, an exporter, told WealthPK. He said rehabilitation and renovation of the harbor was initiated five years back when the European Union (EU) banned the export of seafood from Pakistan to 28 countries and delisted 11 Pakistani firms, resulting in loss of millions of dollars to the national exchequer. The ban was imposed due to the poor hygienic conditions, and dumping of the industrial and municipal waste into the Arabian Sea.

 Fisheries as a subsector of agriculture plays a significant role in the national economy and national food security. It contributes directly to food supplies and is a source of livelihood for the coastal inhabitants and export earnings. Fishing accounts for less than one percent of the GDP, but it still plays a crucial role in developing the economy by providing employment to a significant number of people residing in impoverished societies and backward regions of Balochistan and Sindh. Tufail Mahmood, a fisheries processor in Karachi, told WealthPK that the EU ban had deprived the country of a high price market. He said the country was exporting the fisheries products to various market; however, the growth was not high.

Credit: INP-WealthPk