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ISLAMABAD: The federal government is working on a three-pronged strategy to increase seafood exports from $200 million to $1 billion, Dr Muhammad Hayat, Fisheries Development Commissioner said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) with the cooperation of provincial departments is working on a three-pronged strategy to explore the potential of fisheries, the Fisheries Development Commissioner added.

Unveiling the strategy, Dr Hayat said that the government plans to control post-harvest losses, focusing on value addition and development of aquaculture and shrimp farming to enhance the exports.

Adopting techniques that major fish exporters use would control post-harvest losses, which account for 30 to 40 per cent of the total catch, he said.

About the lower level of value addition in fish, Dr Hayat said, “we are encouraging local and foreign investors to make value addition in seafood, as all of the fish are exported in raw form.”

About the European Commission ban on fish exports, the fisheries development commissioner said that the federal government with the assistance of provincial and foreign agencies is executing a plan to restore the suspended fisheries’ exports to the European Union after compliance with the procedures.

The ministry along with the provincial agencies and foreign agency UNIDO is pursuing a programme to meet the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the EC, he added.
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By: Aftab Maken - The News