KARACHI: Pakistan has set a seafood export target of $600 million for the financial year 2025–26, the maritime affairs ministry said on Friday, as officials and exporters held talks with Chinese partners in Beijing this week to scale up aquaculture and frozen food ventures.
The fisheries sector earned $465 million in FY 2024–25, according to government data, with China the country’s biggest buyer. Officials say new memorandums of understanding and business-to-business deals signed with Chinese companies are central to lifting production and establishing Pakistan as a regional seafood hub.
“Pakistan aims to reach $600 million in seafood exports in the upcoming financial year,” Federal Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry was quoted as saying in a statement by his office after he met exporters in China, stressing that memorandums of understanding and business-to-business agreements would be central to boosting fisheries and establishing the country as a regional hub.
“Pakistan ranks as the third-largest global exporter of mud crabs, shipping over 3,000 tons of live mud crabs to China, its biggest importer,” he added.
Exporters said aquaculture collaboration with Chinese firms was key to accessing distant markets.
Tariq Memon, international sales manager at Arabian Sea Products, was quoted in the maritime ministry statement as saying his company was developing holding systems to cultivate and preserve live mud crabs and lobsters.
“This initiative, in partnership with Chinese firms, seeks to extend the survival time of live seafood to two or three weeks, enabling access to distant markets such as China,” he said.
Memon emphasized that success would hinge on technology transfer, investment, and aquaculture expertise from Chinese partners.
Pakistani companies also proposed joint ventures to expand beyond seafood.
Saeed Ahmed Fareed, CEO of Legend International (Pvt) Ltd, said his Karachi-based firm, which operates a 65,000-square-foot processing facility with a daily capacity of 40 tons, was seeking Chinese collaboration in value-added frozen seafood and poultry products such as chicken feet. The company already holds approval from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC).
“Collaboration would help both parties reduce costs, gain economies of scale, and broaden export reach to the US, Europe, and regional markets,” Fareed explained.
Other exporters, including Ali Reimoo of Karim Impex, said they were exploring opportunities in China and neighboring regions.
Beyond seafood, exporters highlighted the untapped potential of freeze-drying technology, widely used across Asia for fruit and vegetable exports.
Asif Muhammad Ali Shah, director of Perfect Food Industries, said countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and China had established strong markets, but Pakistan lacked such facilities despite international demand for mango, guava, falsa, okra and bitter melon.
“Although countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and China supply freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, Pakistan lacks such facilities despite strong international demand,” Shah said, pointing to high equipment costs and lengthy processing times.
He added that international buyers were ready to commit to annual contracts if local capacity was built, particularly for diaspora communities and niche markets abroad.
Minister Chaudhry said investments in cold chain infrastructure and freezing technologies had already laid the groundwork for future seafood-specific freeze-drying plants.
“Current infrastructure and market trends indicate promising potential for growth in this sector in the near future,” he added.
