Islamabad : — Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced plans to establish a 100-acre, $80 million Seafood Processing and Export Zone at Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KoHFA), aimed at boosting blue economy and global seafood trade.
The minister in a statement on Saturday said the proposed project aims to develop, finance and operate a modern seafood processing and value addition complex under KoHFA, positioning the harbour as a regional hub for sustainable, technology-driven seafood processing linked to high-value international markets.
Junaid Chaudhry said the initiative would bridge medium-scale seafood processors and value-added plants with global buyers by providing modern infrastructure, certification standards and efficient export logistics. He added that the project reflects the government’s intent to move away from raw seafood exports towards higher-value processed products.
The minister noted the project would cover 100 acres of dedicated seafood processing and export infrastructure at Korangi Fisheries Harbour in Karachi. He said the estimated project cost ranges between 60 million and 80 million dollars, based on regional benchmarks from countries such as Vietnam, China and Ecuador, which have developed similar seafood parks.
He said the planned facilities would include multi-tenant seafood processing units, large-scale cold storage, packaging facilities, logistics and export terminals, and a wastewater treatment plant to ensure environmentally compliant operations. The zone would be used exclusively for commercial seafood processing, packaging, cold storage and export-oriented activities.
Minister Chaudhry said the project is proposed under a public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer concession model, under which private investors would develop, operate and maintain the processing zone, while KoHFA would retain regulatory oversight and provide facilitation.
Elaborating on the development components, the minister said the zone would host between 20 and 25 medium to large-scale seafood processing units designed for fish, shrimp and cephalopod processing, value addition and export-grade packaging. He said these units would support a wide range of products, from primary processing to ready-for-market seafood items.
He said the project would include a cold storage and blast freezing complex with multi-temperature storage ranging from minus 18 to minus 40 degrees Celsius, allowing safe handling of fresh, processed and unprocessed seafood. Ice plants and flake ice stations with a daily capacity of 50 to 100 tonnes would support fish landing, processing and transportation needs.
The minister said dedicated value addition and ready-to-eat units would be established for filleting, marinated products, breaded seafood and export-oriented convenience foods, enabling Pakistani exporters to tap premium retail and food service markets abroad.
“Packaging and labelling units would operate under international food safety and quality standards, including HACCP and ISO certifications, offering vacuum packing, modified atmosphere packaging and retail-ready solutions”, he added.
HACCP is a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a preventive system identifying and controlling food safety hazards and ISO certification verifies that an organization’s management system meets international standards.
On the investment structure, Junaid Chaudhry said the preferred model is a BOT concession in which the private partner would finance, develop and operate the facilities, with ownership reverting to KoHFA at the end of the concession period. He said alternative models could include development and operations partnerships involving KoHFA and private seafood exporters or manufacturers.
He added that revenue streams would be generated through lease rentals, processing fees, cold storage and logistics services, utilities provision, export revenue sharing arrangements and margins from value-added products. The estimated internal rate of return is projected between 13 and 17 percent, based on comparable seafood park projects in the region.
Junaid Chaudhry said the concession tenure is expected to be 20 years, with the possibility of extension, while the project would be fully financed and operated by the private sector. KoHFA would contribute land, jetty access and institutional facilitation to support investors.
Describing the broader value proposition, the minister said the project would position Pakistan as a key maritime trade and seafood export hub serving Gulf, East African and Asian markets. He said it would enable export value addition by transforming marine resources into premium seafood products through modern processing and internationally recognised certification standards.
He added that the integrated infrastructure would offer a world-class cold chain and processing ecosystem within a dedicated industrial zone, while promoting inclusive blue growth by empowering coastal fishing communities and cooperatives through shared opportunities and capacity building.
Junaid Chaudhry said the initiative is fully aligned with Pakistan’s National Blue Economy Policy, Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water, and benefits from strategic connectivity to Karachi Port, Port Qasim, the Korangi Industrial Area and regional shipping routes.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
