120 days given for shrimp roadmap

Seven working groups to prepare 14 reports; Sindh weighs a 3,500-acre shrimp farm

ISLAMABAD:

A sub-committee constituted by the prime minister has set a 120-day deadline to prepare a roadmap for expanding shrimp farming, improving value addition and boosting exports, as part of a broader 24-month implementation and review process, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.

The meeting of the sub-committee on Aquaculture and Shrimp Value Chain, chaired by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, brought together provincial fisheries officials and relevant federal institutions to develop a coordinated strategy for transforming aquaculture into a competitive, export-oriented industry.

The committee will prepare a comprehensive report based on verified data and stakeholder recommendations, establishing a baseline for the sector, identifying bottlenecks across the value chain and proposing measures to improve production, processing and export competitiveness.

It approved seven technical working groups and a projection and costing cell to prepare 14 reports and export projections, assigning responsibilities to the relevant institutions, and adopted a common framework for data collection and validation, prioritising challenges, developing reform proposals and monitoring progress. An initial 14-day action plan was approved, with participating institutions directed to complete their assigned tasks within the stipulated deadlines.

Representatives of the fisheries departments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan attended, along with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the ministries of National Food Security and Research and Maritime Affairs.

Chaudhry said the exercise would identify constraints and develop practical solutions to expand shrimp farming, strengthen value addition and increase exports, and that the federal government would work with provincial governments and other stakeholders to pool expertise and develop a coordinated approach.

Punjab Secretary for Aquaculture and Fisheries Rana Muhammad Saleem Afzal said the provincial government was working to expand shrimp farming, but establishing an effective value chain remained a major challenge, and efforts were under way to establish hatcheries. Sindh's secretary for livestock and fisheries said a feasibility study was being prepared for a 3,500-acre shrimp farm in the province, and highlighted the need to address challenges in value addition and traceability.

Other participants presented proposals to improve shrimp processing, value addition and export competitiveness.

The minister said the next meeting would review progress on nominations and baseline data collection, the consolidated baseline for farmed shrimp and identified bottlenecks.