KARACHI, Nov 13: The country fetched an average price of $1.45 per kg on fish exports in the first quarter (July-September) of this fiscal year as against $1.73 per kg in the same period last year as exporters had to sell their shipments at low prices to other countries after the European Union banned seafood imports from Pakistan from April 12 this year.

Total exports of fish and fish preparations stood at $34.4 million in the quarter under review as against $45.4 million the same period of 2006, showing a sharp fall of 24 per cent.

The government had set a provisional overall fish export target including exports to EU countries at $230 million for 2007-2008 but it seems that the target will not be achieved as Pakistan has already lost the EU market. The country fetched $188 million export during 2006-2007 including exports to European countries.

A fish exporter told Dawn that the landing of shrimps had been 60 per cent higher this year over the last year but exporters had to sacrifice on the prices by sending the shrimps to various destinations other than the

EU states at low prices.

A meeting to review the crisis faced by the fish exporters due to the EU ban, with Secretary Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) Ziaur Rahman in the chair, was held in Islamabad and attended by Minfal officials and MNA Akhlaq Hussain Abidi, an executive committee member of Pakistan Seafood Industries Association (PSIA).

Sources said that the meeting reviewed the deficiencies, which were pointed out by the EU inspection mission that visited the country in January this year, mainly related to processing plants, boats and markets.

They said that all the participants of the meeting were satisfied that deficiencies had been removed at the processing plants and markets, while modification of boats as per EU quality and hygienic standards had been underway.

They added that so far 15-20 boats had been upgraded while there was a need to upgrade at least 150-200 boats a month in order to satisfy the EU.

It may be recalled that the fishing activities came to a grinding halt in the first week of this month when the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) had cancelled the fishing permits of all the boats operating from Karachi Fish Harbour as boat owners had failed in modifying their boats by the extended deadline of October 31, 2007.

On November 8, the Sindh government had lifted a ban on fishing activities on the condition that boat owners would modify at least 200 boats a month as per specifications of the EU.

Sources said that the Minfal were of the view that total upgradation of boats on EU standards would take at least two months. After removing the deficiencies in the boats, the ministry of food would be calling the EU mission for inspection.

An official in Minfal told Dawn from Islamabad that no specific date had been fixed yet for calling the EU inspection team but claimed that situation according to EU standards had been very satisfactory.

Sources said that if the boat owners fully comply with the EU requirement in the next two months, Minfal is likely to request for EU inspection of boats, processing units and markets in January next.