ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) has lifted the ban on the imports of seafood from Pakistan, which 27-nation bloc had imposed in 2007 over hygiene fears.
Pakistani fish exports to the EU were worth 50 million euros ($66 million) a year until the EU de-listed 11 seafood-exporting companies of the country after its food officials in 2007 identified “serious deficiencies” in hygiene and quality checks on seafood.
The EU said in a statement on Wednesday that the government’s fisheries department has approved two companies – AG Fisheries (Pvt) Ltd and Akhlaq Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd – to resume exports to the bloc, Pakistan’s leading trading partner.
Exporters said Pakistan will now be able to export pud, pink and brown shrimps, squid and cuttlefish to the world’s largest market of fisheries.
“This is a real breakthrough that should also inspire other industries in Pakistan to increase their exports to EU markets,” the EU ambassador to Pakistan, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, said in the statement.
Through a technical assistance programme, the European Union has helped Pakistan upgrade fish auction halls in Karachi and train fishermen and inspectors in line with European standards.
More than 300 fishing boats have been revamped and laboratories set up to test produce to help Pakistan meet EU standards, the statement said.
DND
