Amidst Obstacles, Fisheries Sector Proves to Stay Robust in D-8 Countries

Istanbul, Turkey | May 06, 2009 by D-8 Secretariat

Pakistan Seafood Industries Association says exports to Malaysia, Indonesia, and southeast asian countries have virtually nullified the negative impact of EU ban

Pakistan’s fish exports increased by 21 per cent in value during the nine months of the current fiscal year despite a ban imposed by EU on import of fish from Pakistan in April 2007 on quality issues, as quoted by online media thedawn.com.

Besides, exports fetched average unit price (AUP) of fish to $1.707 per kg in July-March 2008-09 as compared to $1.6 per kg in the same period of last fiscal.

A total of 100,422 tons of fish were exported in the last nine months of current fiscal fetching $171.4 million as compared to 88,170 tons worth $141.5 million in the corresponding period of last year, showing increase of 14 per cent in quantity and 21 per cent in value, revealed figures of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).

Director General Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) Mohammad Moazzam Khan linked the increase in fish exports mainly to rupee devaluation against the dollar and to higher prices from some Far Eastern countries.

He recalled that a ban was imposed by the European Union (EU) in view of 23 deficiencies identified by an EU mission during January 2007 at various stages from auction hall to processing units.

The country used to get higher price from the European buyers but exporters are now getting good price mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia, he said.

On prospects of lifting of EU ban, Khan said that Livestock and Dairy Development Minister Humayun Aziz Kurd informed the National Assembly recently that efforts were underway to comply with the requirement of EU high quality standards and hopefully the ban would be lifted by August this year.

Chairman Pakistan Seafood Industries Association (PSIA) Faisal Iftikhar said that fisheries exports were suffering $100 million loss per annum due to the EU ban.

However, the situation has changed in the last one year. As many as 30 fish processing units had been set up at the Balochistan Coastal Highway (from Hub, Damm, Ormara, Pasni, Jevani and Gwadar) in the last one year with an investment of Rs100 million each.

He said these units were mainly exporting Indian Mackrel (local name is Bangra) to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. As many as 5,000 containers (with 27 tons load in each container) are being exported to these countries every year.

Iftikhar said that Bangra fish is now getting over double price from these countries owing to high demand. Exporters used to send it at 50 cents per kg but now are fetching $2 per kg. Exports to these countries had virtually nullified the negative impact of EU ban on exports, he added.

When asked as to when the EU would lift the ban as Pakistan’s name is not included in the list of inspection being taken by the EU during 2009 in various countries, the PSIA chairman said that processing units have met the EU quality standards now and other relevant sectors are ready for the inspection.

‘We want the government to dispatch an action plan by August to EU for inspection of the entire fisheries sector,’ he said adding that much depends on the federal government how it presents its case before the EU and get the ban removed.

He recalled that PSIA in the second week of this month had demanded replacement of former DG MFD Javed Ishrat with a competent officer having a technical background of handling fisheries sector and also to resolve the issue of EU ban. He said exporters would soon meet the new DG MFD to discuss the issues of ban.

Indonesian Fisheries Products Lures European Market

D-8 fishery products has huge potential to enter the EU market, as has been proven by Indonesia and Malaysia

Other D-8 member countries, such as Indonesia, is also having a good development in the sector. In the European Seafood Exhibition in Brussel recently, Indonesia hold the attention of European market, eventhough EU has set a number of regulation that set rules in IUU Fishing per January 2010, quoted by Indonesia news agency, Antara.

“In the expo, eight of our fishery entrepreuners and exporters have made deals that amounted up to 8 million US dollar,” an authority at the Indonesian embassy, PLE Priatna, said.

In between the expo, the organizer also held European Seafood ASEM Forum in Brussel, which was attended by various fisheries businessperson from diverse countries.

Indonesian ambassador for Belgium, Luxembourg, and EU, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema said that they the Indonesian fishery producers have done their best to improve the sector’s performance in the country, from regulatory issue to the operational setting in the field. This has lead to a positive response from the European market with the lifting of EU ban to Indonesia (Commission Directive 236 UE) recently.

“European market is quite opened for our products, and we notice that their demand is pretty high,” said Martani Husaini, from the Directorate General of Fisheries of Indonesia.

Indonesian attache of agriculture in Brussel, Edi Hartulistioso said that the Expo had done very well to re-penetrate the European market for Indonesian products dur to the quality and competitive prices. The image of Indonesia as archipelagos with thousands of islands and extensive ocean has also contributed positively to the market.

Malaysian Seafood Exports Resume to EU

From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysian news agency, BERNAMA, also reported that the export of seafood products from Malaysia to Europe is expected to resume this month, providing good news for local exporters.

Seafood products generate billions of ringgit annually and are considered as the second largest edible item exported by Malaysia, writes Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah for Bernama.

According to the news, ambassador and head of delegation of the European Commission in Malaysia, Vincent Piket, said in an effort to enable the trade to resume, inspectors from the EU Food and Veterinary Office carried out a review mission earlier this month.

He said the European Union (EU) worked in close collaboration with Malaysia’s Health Ministry, Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Ministry and Malaysian Fisheries Development Board to implement measures to address the food safety management and hygiene issues to comply with the EU’s requirements.

“The final results of the analysis are not yet available but I am hopeful that with the improvements introduced by the Malaysian authorities and the seafood industry, a significant part of the seafood trade can resume by end of May,” he said.

Prior to this, as quoted in the D-8 website, other encouraging news had came from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), who had commended the Islamic Republic of Iran for observing the global standards for fishing, calling Iran one of the developed countries in this regard, IRIB news agency reported.

FAO Assistant Director-General of Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Ichiro Nomura stated that Iran plays a crucial role in aquaculture and should be regarded as a role model for regional countries.

Due to its big potentials, fisheries is among programs that will be touched by D-8 framework of cooperation, which included in Food Security Program.

“We hope that Iran and Indonesia can lead the initiative to introduce the establishment of D-8 Working Group on Fisheries,” said Dipo Alam, Secretary General of D-8. He said that Iran plays a leading role as an advanced country in in fishery sector, as globally recognized by FAO.

He also brought to mind the visit he made to the Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Freddy Numberi, last August. The meeting talked about the fisheries and maritime potency in D-8 countries. Minister Numberi supports the D-8 cooperation in this line, stating the fact that the group has a huge maritime and fertile potentials.

D-8 will be organizing a Consultative Meeting on D-8 Working Group on Marine and Fisheries as an exlusive event on May 13, 2009 in Manado, Indonesia. The event will be held during the World Ocean Conference that will be attended by various countries delegation during 11-15 May, 2009 in the same place.

Source: DAWN, Antara, Bernama, various.

Read Also

• Direct Fisheries Trade Launched from Indonesia’s Aceh to Malaysia
• Considered the Potency, SG Expects Iran or Indonesia Establish D-8 Working Group on Fisheries
• The Political-Economy of Gas and Food Security in Developing Countries
• D-8 Paves Up the Way for Food Security Initiatives among Member Countries
• D-8 Organization to Cooperate Intensively on Marine and Fertilizer Issues
• D-8 to Strengthen Cooperation in SMEs Sector
• Independent Automotive Sector in D-8 Countries Steadily Improving
• Indonesia, Malaysia Expect Trade to Hit $15billion
• D-8 To Focus On Private Sector-led Initiatives for Food Security
• Pakistan Can Help Malaysia Develop Halal Hub and Provide Land for Cattle Farms