PBS puts FY26 seafood exports at $482 million, $86 million below ministry's claim

Pakistan earned $482.078 million from seafood exports in FY2025-26, nearly $86 million less than the $568 million previously announced by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, according to final trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The PBS figures show that Pakistan exported 215,170.296 metric tonnes of fish and fish preparations during the fiscal year, compared with 216,482 metric tonnes worth $465.4 million in FY2024-25.

Export earnings increased by around 4%, while shipment volumes declined by about 1%, indicating modest year-on-year growth rather than the sharper increase suggested by the ministry’s earlier announcement.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry had announced that seafood exports reached a record $568 million during FY2025-26. The figure was widely reported as evidence of the government’s Blue Economy reforms and improved access to international markets.

The Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) later described the performance as a historic milestone, attributing the expanded exports to China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the European Union and the United States.

The department also identified frozen fish as Pakistan’s leading seafood export.

However, the final PBS data presents a more moderate assessment of the sector’s performance and has prompted fisheries exporters and former officials to call for stronger coordination between the MFD and the PBS.

Industry officials believe the difference arose because the minister was briefed using preliminary estimates. 

PBS data shows that seafood exports during the first 11 months of FY2025-26 amounted to around $445 million. For annual earnings to reach the ministry’s announced figure of $568 million, exports in June alone would have needed to exceed $122 million, far above any previous monthly performance by the sector.

Instead, Pakistan exported 15,770.296 metric tonnes of fish and fish preparations worth approximately $36.7 million in June 2026.

The June export value was lower than the roughly $51.9 million recorded in May 2026 and the approximately $38 million earned in June 2025.

Compared with May, seafood exports fell 33.61% in quantity and 29.10% in value. On a year-on-year basis, export volume declined 11.25%, while earnings decreased 3.31%.

Historical data also shows gradual rather than exceptional growth. Seafood exports stood at $496.3 million in FY2022-23 before falling to $410.3 million in FY2023-24. Earnings recovered to $465.4 million in FY2024-25 and increased by around 3.6% to $482.078 million in FY2025-26.