Casting a line: Gulf states order $250m worth of trout

Pakistani fish farmers prepare to meet 50,000 tons demand.

PESHAWAR: Gulf states have ordered the export of 50,000 tons of trout fish from the country’s cold waters, said Swat Trout Fish Farms Association Consultant Omar Hayat Khan on Monday. Talking to APP, he said that fish farmers have started preparation to meet the required demand of trout fish to the exporters. The fish known for its unique taste, he said, will be provided at $5 per kilogramme.

The delicious trout fish is a great attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists, he said. The fish hatcheries of Swat have been revived with the assistance of Unites States Agency for International Development. Moreover, development of trout fish farms in Dir Upper and Chitral is also under consideration, Khan informed. He added that the fish farmers of Swat were capable to meet the required demand and the farmers were planning to export 0.1 million tons of fish next year.

Seafood exports from Pakistan witnessed an 11% rise to $296.8 million from July 2011 to May 2012 from $267.4 million in the corresponding period last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; the result is an increase in the value-added fish products and discovery of new markets. Pakistani shrimps are directly sold in the retail market of Japan.

Militancy and terrorism from 2007 have badly damaged fish farming in Swat district. The European Union (EU) imposed a ban on Pakistani seafood imports in 2007 and the ban has not been listed yet.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2012.