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KARACHI: The European Commission has lifted ban on one more Pakistan’s seafood company to permit its export into the EU, enabling the country to further exploit the world’s largest market, sources told Business Recorder on Monday.
Now, sources said, the country’s third seafood company will be on the list of the EU nations to import fish and shrimp product. M/s Seagreen Enterprises (Pvt.) Ltd has received approval from the European Commission that enables it to export fisheries to the world’s largest market from now onwards. “The Seagreen Enterprises, one of the largest seafood processing plants, is included in the new European Commission notification on Dec 16, 2022,” sources said.
Fisheries experts called the EU move a “good omen”, saying that it can help increase seafood export to earn the much needed foreign exchange during the critical time for the country.
They urged the federal government to invite the European Commission Inspection Mission to help restore a complete seafood export from the country to the EU. The EU, a 27-nation block had placed a ban on Pakistan’s seafood companies in 2007 after finding non-compliance of its specifications.
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However, after six years of restrictions, the European Commission enlisted only two companies including M/s Akhlaq Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, and M/s A G Fisheries Pvt Ltd allowing them to export shrimp and fish products from March 12, 2013.
The EU’s ban on the seafood import from Pakistan came into existence after a “systematic failure” in 2007 mainly shortcomings, which the Inspection Mission of the European Commission had noted in its visit, sources said.
They blamed the Marine Fisheries Department – a competent authority, regulating the matters of the seafood processing plants – for failing to ensure the sanitary and phytosanitary conditions, which led to the ban.
The poor law and order in Pakistan had continued to delay the following visits of Commission’s inspection team to see whether the conditions have improved, which eventually prolonged the ban until Dec 2013.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022