President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman of the National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman of the FPCCI Policy Advisory Board, and former Provincial IT Minister, Mian Zahid Hussain, has stated that despite the abundance of natural resources in Pakistan’s fisheries and aquaculture sector, its contribution to national exports remains dismal. He emphasized that with a concrete strategy, modern technology, and value addition, the ssector’sexports can easily be boosted to $2 billion.

Mian Zahid Hussain noted that seafood exports stood at $568 million in the last fiscal year, up 38 percent over two years. China remained Pakistan’s largest seafood market, absorbing about 59 percent of total exports. However, he lamented that despite possessing a 1,000-kilometre-long coastline and a 240,000-square-kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Pakistan’s share in the $195 billion global seafood export market is a mere 0.29 percent, which should be a moment of reflection for policymakers and economic planners.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that China ranks first in global seafood production with a 35.7 percent share, followed by India at 9.5 percent and Indonesia at 7.1 percent, while Vietnam and Peru also hold prominent positions. Pakistan, unfortunately, ranks 34th in the world, with its share in global aquatic food production stagnating at approximately 0.4 percent in 2014, 2019, and 2024. From 2014 to 2024, Pakistan’s annual average production growth rate was a dismal 1.1 percent, compared with 5.8 percent for India, 4.3 percent for Peru, and 3.7 percent for Vietnam. This stark contrast highlights Pakistan’s massive untapped potential to increase production and capitalize on its economic capacity. In the export market, Norway and China dominate with an approximate 10 percent share each, while Ecuador, Vietnam, Chile, and India also hold significant shares. Pakistan’s 0.02 percent Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2016 to 2025 further highlights its limited footprint in the global aquatic food market relative to its potential.

Mian Zahid Hussain highlighted that the primary hurdles restricting Pakistan’s access to the global seafood market include a weak traceability and certification system, a lack of boat registration and digital records, poor enforcement of food safety and quality standards, and complex licensing procedures. Furthermore, declining fish stocks, overfishing, illegal fishing, and the absence of effective quota and stock management systems are severely compromising the ssector’sexport potential. He pointed out that inadequate fishing harbours, jetties, cold storage, testing laboratories, and quarantine facilities, compounded by high interest rates, limited financing, a fragile value chain, insufficient hatcheries, feed mills, and a lack of institutional capacity, remain major bottlenecks. The absence of an integrated data system for reliable catch, landing, stock, and export figures undermines resource management and shatters international buyers’ confidence.

Mian Zahid Hussain stressed that Pakistan must shift from viewing fisheries and aquaculture as merely traditional fishing and instead develop them as a modern, export-oriented, value-added blue economy. To achieve this, Pakistan must ensure effective coordination between federal and provincial institutions, complete traceability of boats and catches, world-class certification and food safety regimes, modern harbours, sustainable fisheries management, and accessible financing for the private sector as a priority. He asserted that shifting the focus from exporting raw fish to processed, frozen, packaged, and value-added seafood products will not only expandPakistan’ss market access but also open doors to new global markets. The FPCCI is ready to provide the government with actionable proposals based on policy research and private-sector experience to promote investment and exports. He concluded that eliminating outdated practices, establishing modern cold-chain infrastructure, promoting shrimp farming, and complying with global standards can undoubtedly change the destiny of the national economy through enhanced seafood exports.