The government has enhanced the fee on issuing certificates related to the quality and origin of fish and fishery products to regulate their exports from Pakistan.

In a recent meeting, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs briefed the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) that the federal government was authorised to regulate the export of fish and fishery products through the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD), Karachi.

Accordingly, MFD was regulating exports through the Pakistan Fish Inspection and Quality Control Act, 1997 and Pakistan Fish Inspection & Quality Control Rules, 1998.

The fee for the issuance of Certificate of Quality and Origin and other certificates for exports and analysis of various parameters has been provided in Schedule-III of the law.

The ECC gave its nod for the proposal put forward by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for fee revision.

Under the revised fee structure, the rates for various services provided by MFD have been updated. Notably, the fee for the registration of fish processing plants and establishments has been substantially increased from Rs25,000 to Rs100,000.

The renewal fee for fish processing plants (freezing/ canning plants, firms or exporters) within one month has been hiked from Rs10,000 to Rs50,000 and after the expiry of one month to Rs60,000.

The government has waived the fee of Rs100 for application Form A for the registration of fish processing plants, firms or exporters. The fee for a duplicate registration certificate has been maintained at Rs30,000.

Moreover, the fee for conducting tests and analysis related to the quality and safety of fish and fishery products has been revised.

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The fee for the Certificate of Quality and Origin has been increased from Rs1,000 to Rs10,000 for both air and sea shipments. Also, the fee has been raised from Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 for any other certificate to meet the requirement of importing country for buying equipment or other purposes.

The fee for results of any specific tests has gone up from Rs1,500 to Rs5,000. The cost of tests will be in addition to this amount.

Charges for organoleptic tests, physical tests and parameters have been revised from Rs200 to Rs3,000 per parameter. Similarly, the fee for microbiological analysis, including tests for coliforms, Salmonella and others, has been increased substantially, reaching Rs13,000 per sample from Rs1,000.

The Finance Division endorsed the fee revision, highlighting the importance of ensuring compliance with quality standards and regulations governing the export of fish and fishery products.

According to Section 18 of the Pakistan Fish Inspection and Quality Control Act, 1997, the authority to frame fee rules and schedules lies with the federal government.

The ECC’s decision underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing quality control in the fishery sector.

By approving the revised fee, the authorities aim to strengthen the oversight mechanism and uphold the reputation of Pakistani fish and fishery products in international markets.

Now, the industry stakeholders are expected to adapt to the new fee regime while continuing to maintain the high quality and safety standards.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2024.

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