Pakistan's Agrobase Exports and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) compliance

It is essential for Pakistan to increase its production and exports of high-value agricultural and fish products in order to boost revenue and enhance development. Between 2004 and 2005, Pakistan was subject to 26 European Union (EU) food alerts, leading the government to implement a voluntary export suspension of fish products to the EU. This study, financed by the Government of the Netherlands through the Bank-Netherlands Partnership Program (BNPP), provides an overview of the existing and emerging challenges that Pakistan faces in relation to food safety, agricultural health standards and trade of fish, meat, fruit and vegetables. It finds that Pakistan lacks a coherent strategy for SPS management and that there is little coordination and collective action between different levels of government and the private sector. Overall, a more proactive approach to SPS management is needed. Pakistani stakeholders must build the capacities of primary producers and packer/processors by strengthening preventative risk management through surveillance and supply chain monitoring. Better coordination is also needed between the public and private sectors. The report highlights market destinations and their requirements, in-country SPS standards, institutional and regulatory frameworks that limit Pakistan’s position in the export market, and recommendations for donor assistance.