BY now, the fishery sector hoped to be almost a third of the way to their considerably increased export target of US$750 million for the 2007-08 financial year. Instead, they are more than $70 million short.

According to figures released last week by the Department of Fisheries, the sector has earned $138.57 million from the start of the fiscal year on April 1 to July 15.

The department had earlier calculated exports of $210 million were needed during this period to keep the industry on track to meeting the year’s target, which the government has increased by more than 60 percent of what the industry earned from exports during 2006-07.

“We’ve passed the 14-week mark and by this time we had to get $210 million, which is $15 million a week, so that we could achieve the target,” said U Khin Ko Lay, deputy director general of the Department of Fisheries.

“We are $71.5 million short of our initial target for this time.”

The Maung Daw checkpoint with Bangladesh in Rakhine State has been the best performing trading point for the industry so far, having reached 28pc of its total target, with $1.46 million in exports putting it on track for reaching its goal of $5.06 million.

It was the only grouping under the Department of Fisheries that achieved the 28pc of the year’s total targeted for this point in the year.

In general, border trade has this year outperformed normal trade, which has achieved only 18pc of its $366.73-million, 12-month target so far.