Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has acknowledged that ongoing electricity shortages and elevated energy prices are limiting Pakistan’s fisheries production and reducing the competitiveness of seafood exports in international markets, according to an official statement.
Addressing a sector meeting, Chaudhry said reliable power supply and lower input costs are necessary to boost output and sustain export revenue. He noted that uninterrupted electricity, affordable feed and efficient energy generation are critical to develop the fisheries sector into a fully operational industry.
Officials at the session outlined operational challenges, including structural gaps across the sector. They said Pakistan has over 100 fish processing plants of various sizes and about 400 registered exporters, with most facilities concentrated in Karachi and limited infrastructure in Balochistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab were reported to have minimal development in fisheries processing capacity.
The minister highlighted the country’s raw material base, including fish, shrimp, crabs, lobsters, squid, cuttlefish and bivalves, that could support value-added processing if energy and cost barriers are addressed.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2022 report, the fisheries sector is a significant contributor to Pakistan’s economy, accounting for about 1% of GDP and approximately 4% of agriculture. In fiscal year 2024–25, fish and fish preparations ranked 10th among Pakistan’s exports, totaling 1.34% of the country’s $32.04 billion export value. The sector provides direct employment to over one million people and indirect livelihoods to another 1.5 million.
