Pakistan’s export of aquatic products to China surges $150 million

Pakistan’s export of aquatic products to China exceeds $150 million, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Tuesday.

According to Chinese customs, China’s import of major aquatic products from Pakistan (HS Code 03) reached 153 million US dollars in 2021, up 9.8 percent year on year, From ribbon fish, croakers, cuttle fish, to shrimp, crabs, and lobsters, China is the largest destination of Pakistan’s aquatic export.

“Fisheries is a big and emerging industry in Pakistan”, said Dr. Saeed Murtaza Hasan Andravi, Director Animal Sciences Institute NARC, Islamabad. It accounts for less than one percent of GDP, but provides vast employment opportunities for under-developed in Pakistan.

Moreover, it can be a profitable profession and a promising means to earn foreign exchange.

Pakistani people are expecting more from the abundant aquatic resources, especially amid the pandemic. Data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics show that Pakistan exported $200 million of fish products in the first half of FY2021-22, up 3.18% year-on-year. “We can increase it to 1 billion dollar”, said Muhammad Zafar Kundi, Chairman of Pakistan Fisheries Export Association.

Suhail Firdous is the owner of Super Star Enterprise, a seafood processing plant with its main customers in the Middle East and Far East. “China mainly consumes 7-8 kinds of fish like abalone, squid, octopus, etc. 70% of our fish are sold to Tianjin, China”. Suhail Firdous observed that Chinese market is more friendly because the customers focus on the quality instead of the package. In contrast, access to European and American markets require troublesome certification. “China is the pillar of our export. It is an easily accessible market”, he explained. Since hitting a ten-year peak in 2019, Pakistan’s exports of aquatic products have been on the decline, but its exports to China have been rising steadily. Chinese customs data show that Pakistan’s exports of major aquatic products (HS Code 03) to China grew 9.3 percent year-on-year in 2021, and 7.4 percent year-on-year even in 2020, when the epidemic broke out.

Amid the epidemic, China has become Pakistan’s largest export destination for aquatic products, accounting for more than 30 percent of its total exports.

Total exports of main aquatic products of Pakistan in recent 10 years (2010-2020) including fish, crustaceans, mollusks and other aquatic invertebrates (HS Code 03) and exports to China, Thailand and UAE. In 2020, China, Thailand and Afghanistan and Pakistan were the top three aquatic products export destinations, accounting for 68%. The report added, on the whole, the export of Pakistan’s aquatic products to China still has enormous potential to grow. As the world’s largest importer of aquatic products, China imported $13.8 billion in aquatic products in 2021, up about 11% year-on-year, according to Chinese customs data. Of this colossal figure, Pakistan only accounted for about 1%. In addition, the demand for aquatic products in China is still increasing rapidly.

China Agricultural Outlook report predicts that per capita consumption of aquatic products in China will reach 23 kg by 2026. Whether Pakistan can further export its aquatic products to China depends on two aspects: production and price.