EU lifts ban on Pakistani seafood imports

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The EU lifted a six-year ban on Pakistani fish exports on 12 March and two processors have so far been given the green light to resume business with the 27-nation trading bloc, reports The Aquaculture Directory. The EU ban was originally imposed in 2007 over poor sanitary conditions in Pakistan’s fish processing sector. Trade is expected to include shrimp, squid and cuttlefish. Pakistan exported over $300m of seafood  in 2012, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, particularly to China, Egypt, the Far East and Middle East. However, the EU remains the world’s largest fish and seafood market and is seen as a vital source of revenue for Pakistan’s fish industry. Immediately prior to the ban, Pakistan’s annual fish exports to the EU netted just under $30m in revenue and represented 23% of its total exports.