KARACHI, March 6: Fish exporters are facing problems in maintaining quality of fish products for a longer duration owing to prolonged loadshedding being resorted to by the KESC at the fish harbour.

The exporters claimed that the KESC was resorting to eight to 10 hours of loadshedding daily in the harbour area for the last one week.

There are about 20 plants of frozen seafood at Karachi Fish Harbour. The industry is contributing about $150-180 million annually, with a potential of one billion dollars of exports.

Pakistan Seafood Industries Association Chairman Sardar Mohammad Hanif Khan estimated a loss of over Rs2 million a day in terms of shutting down of freezing machinery for a longer period as abrupt power disruptions were causing damage to sensitive equipment.

Mr Hanif said fish exporters have already lost EU market, and the current disruptions in fish-processing had been creating further problems in meeting shipment schedules to other countries.

He said fish exports during 2007-08 are likely to reach $150 million only as compared to $184 million in the last fiscal year.

In July-January 2007-08, fish exports (excluding the EU markets) stood at $106 million as compared to $107 million in the same period of 2006-2007, figures compiled by the Federal Bureau of Statistics revealed.

Fish exporter Akhlaq Hussain Abidi said that the fish industry had already been suffering at the hands of incompetent government officials who had so far not been able to seek lifting of ban on export to European countries.

He urged the KESC to pay attention to improve the power supply position to West Wharf area by connecting the area to its new 132 KVA grid.