ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has set a 120-day deadline to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for expanding shrimp farming, strengthening value addition and increasing seafood exports.
The deadline was agreed at a meeting of a prime minister-appointed sub-committee on aquaculture and the shrimp value chain, chaired by Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Tuesday, according to an official statement.
The roadmap will form part of a wider 24-month implementation and review process aimed at turning aquaculture into a competitive, export-oriented industry.
The sub-committee will prepare a report using verified data and recommendations from stakeholders, identifying obstacles across the value chain and proposing measures to improve production, processing and export competitiveness.
Seven Working Groups
The meeting approved seven technical working groups and a projection and costing cell to prepare 14 reports and export projections.
Officials also adopted a common framework for collecting and verifying data, identifying priority challenges, proposing reforms and monitoring progress.
An initial 14-day action plan was approved, with participating institutions instructed to complete their assigned tasks within the set deadlines.
Representatives from provincial fisheries departments, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the federal ministries of food security and maritime affairs attended the meeting.
Chaudhry said the exercise would identify constraints and develop practical solutions to expand shrimp farming, improve value addition and increase exports.
He said federal and provincial governments would work together to pool expertise and develop a coordinated strategy.
Provincial Plans
Sindh’s secretary for livestock and fisheries said a feasibility study was being prepared for a proposed 3,500-acre shrimp farm in the province. He also highlighted the need to address weaknesses in value addition and traceability.
In Punjab, Aquaculture and Fisheries Secretary Rana Saleem Afzal said the provincial government was working to introduce shrimp farming in areas where high groundwater salinity makes conventional agriculture difficult.
Efforts were underway to establish hatcheries in such locations, he said, while acknowledging that building an effective value chain remained a major challenge.
Other participants presented proposals to improve shrimp processing and value addition for both export markets and domestic consumption, where demand for shrimp and prawns remains strong, particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The next meeting will review the identified bottlenecks and available baseline data.
Export Potential
Punjab has already launched a Blue Economy Programme to develop unused land and introduce modern scientific methods of shrimp farming. In April, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said infrastructure development had progressed at proposed farming sites in Sargodha Estate, Aliwala and Shahgarh.
The federal government said Pakistan’s exports of fish and fish preparations reached a record $568 million in the fiscal year 2025-26.
Pakistan’s seafood exports are mainly shipped to China, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Indonesia and the United States.
The new initiative seeks to build on that export base by expanding aquaculture production and improving the processing and supply systems needed to compete in international markets.
