Pakistan has increased its aquaculture manifold from 12,000 tons in the year 2000 to 159,000 tons in 2018. Aquaculture is slowly gaining momentum in Pakistan with hatcheries of different species of crustaceans (mostly shrimps) opening up in Karachi.

https://tdap.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Fisheries-Potential-...

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https://www.reportlinker.com/clp/country/10970/726402


Key Market Indicators
Fish production in Pakistan is expected to reach 178,000 metric tons by 2026, up 1.4 percent from 162,000 metric tons in 2021. Since 1965, the country's production has grown 0.7 percent annually. In 2021, Pakistan ranked 28th in fish production, after France which produced 162,000 metric tons. Indonesia, India and Vietnam ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively.

Fish consumption in Pakistan is projected to reach 53,000 metric tons by 2026, down 1.9 percent from 58,000 metric tons in 2021. Since 2017, the country's demand for fish has decreased 3 percent annually.

Despite rising prices, Pakistan’s love for sugar remains unshaken

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/21/despite-rising-prices-...

Pakistan’s total sugar production for the current financial year, which will end in July 2025, is forecasted at 6.8 million tonnes, while consumption is expected to be about 6.7 million tonnes.

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With overall inflation down and costs of other commodities stable, consumers are willing to pay more for sugar, especially during Ramadan, even as the government scrambles to curb prices.

Islamabad, Pakistan – When Ayesha Khan, a mother of four, was buying groceries for her family this week, sugar was high on her shopping list.

A few miles away in the corridors of power, Pakistan’s government and bureaucrats were trying to thrash out a fix for sugar’s soaring prices. But for Khan, buying sugar was a necessity.

“It has been almost 20 days since Ramadan began, and this will be the third time I am buying a five-kilogramme bag of sugar for the family,” Khan, who is in her 30s, told Al Jazeera while shopping in an Islamabad market frequented mostly by middle-class customers.

“What can I say? We all have a sweet tooth, and we love our sugary tea and rooh afza!” she added, laughing, referring to the popular rose-flavoured beverage.

General inflation in the country has trended downwards over the past year, with inflation crashing from 23.06 percent in February 2024 to 1.5 percent in February this year. This was after inflation had reached a record high of 38 percent in May 2023.

However, over the past few months, the price of sugar has increased by nearly 22 percent, rising from 140 rupees per kilogramme ($0.50) in January to 171 rupees per kilogramme ($0.61) in the second week of March, according to Pakistan’s Bureau of Statistics.

But in the markets of Islamabad, many customers said that the increase in sugar prices was only a pinch, not a punch, to their wallets, adding that the stability of prices for other key commodities such as milk, wheat and rice helped them balance their budgets.

Mohammad Shehzad, 27, was buying jalebi – a spiral-shaped South Asian dessert made from all-purpose flour and soaked in hot sugar syrup.

He said that while Ramadan usually brought a slight increase in the prices of nearly every commodity, things had been worse in previous years.

“We do love to add sugar to our tea and desserts, of course, but because our overall expenditure is under control, the increase in sugar prices has not hurt us too much,” he told Al Jazeera while placing an order for three kilogrammes of jalebi, sold for 650 rupees ($2.32) per kilogramme, for an iftar dinner at his house.

Ramadan, with its daily rituals of suhoor and iftar — the predawn and post-sunset meals, respectively — often brings a slightly higher consumption of various food items.

Wajid Mehmood, the manager of Shikarpuri Sweets, the dessert shop where Shehzad was buying jalebi from, said that while the overall input cost had increased due to rising sugar prices, it had mainly affected profit margins.

“We purchase about 10 to 12 bags per day, each weighing 50kg, for our six branches. One bag currently costs us 8,500 rupees ($30). Before Ramadan, it cost us 7,800 rupees ($27) per bag,” he said.

However, Mehmood said that the shop owners had decided not to pass the increased cost on to customers during Ramadan.

“Maybe the price will be raised a little at Eid,” he said, referring to the festive period that follows the month of fasting.

For some, like Muhammad Zahid, a juice vendor who has run his roadside stall for the past 32 years, pricing depends on a combination of factors, including increases in the prices of both sugar and fruits, such as apples, bananas and oranges. During Ramadan, he has no customers during the day.

“With Ramadan, my sugar requirements have naturally gone down, so my daily usage is between two to three kilogrammes, costing me 165 rupees ($0.59) per kilogramme these days,” he said while slicing fruits.

Adeel Afzal
@AdeelAfzal06
Pakistan secures 4-year US approval to export seafood under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Protection Act. FY25 seafood exports already up 11.4% to $489m; compliance could lift earnings toward $600m.
A key boost for sustainable fisheries and global market access. 🐟🇵🇰

https://x.com/AdeelAfzal06/status/1961768830914494489

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China tariffs pave way for high seafood exports to US
Pakistan can tap full potential as Washington extends authorisation by 4 years

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564228/china-tariffs-pave-way-for-hig...

China has lost the entire seafood market in the US following higher duties, market sources said, adding that Beijing was expected to shift its seafood market to Pakistan for exports to the US. Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced on Saturday that Pakistan has received authorisation that gave extension for the export of fish and fish-related products to the United States by another four years.

In a statement, the minister said that the decision reflects international recognition of the quality of Pakistan's seafood and would create long-term stability for the sector. "The extension is expected to bolster our position in the global seafood market by securing access to one of the world's largest seafood importers," he said. The federal minister explained that the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified all Pakistani fisheries on its List of Foreign Fisheries as "comparable" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

"This classification confirms that Pakistan's fisheries meet US standards for protecting marine mammals from incidental mortality and serious injury during fishing operations," he said.

The MMPA requires fisheries to minimise marine mammal by-catch, adopt conservation practices and take sustainable measures that also support healthier marine ecosystems.