Islamabad:
Experts have stressed the urgent need to recognize and exploit the unexploited potential of marine and interior and aquaculture fisheries to promote food security, reduce poverty and stimulate sustainable economic growth.
They were expressed during a workshop on Wednesday, organized by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs with technical support for the organization of food and agriculture (FAO), and focused on the formation of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy 2025-2035.
Addressing the event, the federal minister of maritime affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry noted that despite the rich marine and interior water resources of Pakistan, the fisheries and aquaculture sector has long been underdeveloped and underused. He stressed that the sector currently contributes to less than 0.5% to gross national interior product (GDP) and captures the limited value of national and export markets. The Minister stressed that one of the main priorities of the new policy is to promote federal-provincial harmonization, adding that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs will continue to conduct national critical issues, in particular the achievement of international obligations and the improvement of seafood exports.
Policy also focuses on cross priorities such as climate resilience, environmental protection, children’s safety, sex inclusion, labor rights and the adoption of modern technologies.
The Minister has described policy as a fundamental and evolutionary framework, the success of which depends on the sustained commitment, the effective coordination and the active engagement of all stakeholders. He said politics represents an important step not only for the ministry but for all institutions, communities and stakeholders engaged in the future of the Blue Economy of Pakistan.
Maritime affairs secretary Syed Zaffar Ali Shah said that despite the long coast of Pakistan, the fishing sector had not yet completed its potential. “There remains a vital source of livelihoods, but faces serious problems such as overfishing and poor regulations.” He noted that the newly introduced national policy aims to resolve these challenges through coordinated planning. With better management and better added value, the sector can generate up to $ 10 billion.
The FAO representative, Florence Rolle, underlined the need for strong coordination between provincial and federal governments and between sectors. She stressed that inclusive seminars have been organized nationally to help shape the policy. The farming commissioner of the Ministry of National Food Security, Dr. Syed Murtaza Hassan Andrabi, stressed that the final policy should be both ambitious and achievable. He stressed the importance of stakeholders’ participation, especially since fisheries are often overlooked and very sensitive to climate. Politics, he added, must reflect the various ecological and cultural characteristics of each province.
The main specialist in FAO policies, Dr. Kanwar Muhammad Javed Iqbal, explained the main characteristics of the policy, including budgetary incentives, the conservation of ecosystems, the empowerment of women, entrepreneurship and pollution control.
