Govt targets $600m in seafood exports | The Express Tribune

Pakistani seafood exporters met with Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry in Beijing and updated him on discussions with their Chinese counterparts as Islamabad intensifies efforts to expand fisheries exports.

The federal minister emphasised that signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and fostering business-to-business agreements would play a crucial role in enhancing fisheries exports, strengthening aquaculture collaboration and elevating Pakistan as a key seafood hub in the region. “Pakistan aims to reach $600 million in seafood exports in the upcoming financial year,” he stated.

Among the exporters, Tariq Memon, International Sales Manager at Arabian Sea Products, shared that his company was developing an advanced aquaculture and holding system to cultivate and preserve live mud crabs and lobsters for export.

He said the initiative, in partnership with Chinese firms, seeks to extend the survival time of live seafood to two or three weeks, enabling access to distant markets such as China. Memon highlighted that success would depend heavily on technology transfer, investment and aquaculture expertise from Chinese partners.

The federal minister noted that Pakistan’s seafood export sector, including live mud crabs and lobsters, was experiencing positive growth, contributing over $465 million to total exports in financial year 2024-25. “Pakistan is ranked the third-largest global exporter of mud crabs, shipping over 3,000 tons of live mud crabs to China, its biggest importer,” he added.

Saeed Ahmed Fareed, CEO of Legend International (Pvt) Ltd, proposed a joint venture with a Chinese company focused on value-added frozen seafood and poultry products, such as chicken feet. Located in Karachi, the company operates a 65,000-square-foot facility with a processing capacity of 40 tonnes per day and holds approval from China’s General Administration of Customs.

Fareed explained that the collaboration would help both parties reduce costs, achieve economies of scale and broaden export reach to the US, Europe and regional markets. Ali Reimoo, partner at Karim Impex, shared his company’s plans to expand into China and neighbouring regions.

Meanwhile, Asif Muhammad Ali Shah, Director of Perfect Food Industries, highlighted the untapped potential for freeze-dried food, a preservation technology initially developed by NASA for astronauts but is now widely used across Asia.

Shah pointed out that although countries like Thailand, Vietnam and China supply freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, Pakistan lacks such facilities despite strong international demand for products including mango, okra, bitter melon, falsa and guava.

He attributed the absence of freeze-drying plants in Pakistan to high equipment costs and lengthy processing times but said international buyers were ready to commit to annual contracts if local production capacity was established, particularly to serve diaspora communities and niche food markets abroad.

The federal minister observed that Pakistan’s frozen food market was growing, supported by significant investments in cold chain infrastructure and advanced freezing technologies, which could lay the groundwork for future development of seafood-specific freeze-drying plants.