Some packages (e.g. hsmagick) specify dependencies using pkgconfig-depends: Cabal option.
With pkgfile the dependencies can be resoved using pkgfile /usr/lib/pkgconfig/$1.pc
pkgconfig-depends is a more robust way to specify dependencies as it specifies all compiler and linker options, e.g. an include path as well. So it's a good idea to encourage upstream .cabal developers to switch to pkgconfig-depends when applicable.