Rising global demand pushes seafood prices up: Local market

ANWAR KHAN

KARACHI: The soaring global demand for seafood has pushed up its prices phenomenally on the local market, as the demand for Pakistani catch in Far Eastern countries and Middle East gave the exporters and fishermen an opportunity to capitalize on the foreign orders.

According to fisheries sources, the global orders are coming from Japan, China, Vietnam South Korea, and Middle East for shrimp and a variety of fish, which pushed the prices of seafood up on the local market. But, they say, the volume of trash fish is also continuing to increase to an alarming level.

"The international orders are largely for kidi shrimp, Maya fish, Dhother fish, Mushka fish and mud crab," they said.

"Situation is far better now as compared to the pre-August fishing season when buyers had controlled the market to keep the prices of seafood down so that the exporting companies could earn huge profit," a local fisherman, Haji Abdullah said.

He said that the price of kidi shrimp had increased to Rs170 per kg on the local market against Rs90 per kg of pre-August price. Similarly, the prices of Maya fish surged to Rs500 per kg up from Rs280, Dhother fish to Rs480 per kg from Rs260 and Mushka fish to Rs280 per kg from Rs160.

He pointed out that the prices of lobster and mud crab were ver high. "Lobster is available for Rs300 per piece [about one kg] and mud crab for Rs450 a dozen," he said.

The under size fish and shrimp also continue to land at the fish harbour of which Mushka fish and Chakhori fish are in a big number as compared to the other seafood species, raising doubts about the actions of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority and Marine Fisheries Department to arrest the perilous trend.

About Pomfret (Paplet fish), Abdullah said the specie was largely found around Keti Bunder as it remained close to shores and in creeks while the fishermen at this season normally voyaged towards the west near Iran sea borders. "Pomfret lands but in a very low volume at Karachi Fisheries for it is not the fishermen first choice to net," he said.

President Bona Fide Fishermen and Boat Owners Welfare Association, Asif Bhatti also attributed the seafood price increase on the local market to the international demand for fish and shrimp. "We are not satisfied with the prices offered to fishermen against their hard-earned catch and demand further increase in the prices of seafood," he said.

He said a small daily-wage boat was brining about Rs0.150 million of catch a day, while the big vessels were landing with at least Rs2 million of catch.

The country's export of seafood posted an increase of 20.76 percent in August 2011, in terms of value, as compared to its export of $ 14,904 million in the same period of 2010, showing a rise of $3,094 million, according to the official statistics.

In terms of volume, the Pakistan seafood sector showed a robust growth of 38.43 percent in August this year.