LAHORE- Pakistan can make a quantum leap in export promotion of the country by upgrading its marine fisheries sector in collaboration with China. Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President S.M. Naveed told APP here Saturday that keeping in mind the sea potential of Gwadar and CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), the marine fishing sector needed an urgent upgradation, for which Chinese methods of fishing and the fish processing technology could be highly useful. To a question, he suggested to bring Chinese expertise and investment in fisheries sector in case the government assures hand-holding coupled with conducive policies. To another query, he informed that some Chinese companies had already evinced their interest to enter into joint ventures for making modern boats, sheds, and ice for marine fisheries. SM Naveed said that the Chinese way of fisheries development may curb illiteracy among fishermen by transferring modern technology for preserving and processing marine fisheries, which will ultimately bring prosperity to the fishermen by enhancing the competitiveness of our fisheries sector in the world market. He mentioned that over 90 per cent of the fishermen community was illiterate and still following the centuries old method of “feel and see” for catching fish. He said, they take their wooden hull boats in the shallow water, through their nets and leave it to the nature for getting fish. Hence, most of the time they have to stay in the water for a whole of the week and return with very little or nothing at all, he added. SM Naveed urged to replace the primitive methods with modern techniques by equipping the fishermen with the modern navigation system to discriminate between the edible and trash fish apart from identifying species and size of the different fish. Responding to question, the PCJCCI President said that China is one of the largest seafood-consuming countries in the world. The total volume of frozen seafood processing industry in China is up to $60.2 billion with the imports accounting for 11.7 per cent of the domestic demand, he said, asserting that the fisheries and allied industrial operations in Pakistan were the most important economic activities along the coast of Sindh and Baluchistan by supporting livelihood of about one million fishermen and their families living in rural villages under difficult conditions.