By Jehangir Khan Tareen MULTAN, Jun 09 (APP):Shrimp farming has emerged as a promising sector in Pakistan's aquaculture industry, offering significant opportunities for economic growth, export earnings, employment generation, and rural development. Traditionally, Pakistan's fisheries sector has relied heavily on marine capture fisheries, but increasing pressure on natural fish stocks and the need for sustainable sources of seafood have encouraged the development of aquaculture. Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, …
Shrimp aquaculture emerges as new economic frontier for South Punjab
By Jehangir Khan Tareen
MULTAN, Jun 09 (APP):Shrimp farming has emerged as a promising sector in Pakistan’s aquaculture industry, offering significant opportunities for economic growth, export earnings, employment generation, and rural development.
Traditionally, Pakistan’s fisheries sector has relied heavily on marine capture fisheries, but increasing
pressure on natural fish stocks and the need for sustainable sources of seafood have encouraged the development of aquaculture.
Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan (MNSUAM) Asst Prof, Dr Naheed Bano
told APP on Tuesday that in recent years, shrimp farming, particularly the cultivation of Pacific white
shrimp, had gained attention as a high-value agricultural enterprise with the potential to transform
underutilized saline lands into productive economic assets.
One of the most important economic benefits of shrimp farming was its contribution to export revenues,
she said and added that Shrimp was among the most traded seafood products in the world, with strong
demand in international markets such as China, the European Union, the United States, Japan, and the
Middle East. Pakistan has historically exported wild-caught shrimp, but aquaculture provides an opportunity
to increase production in a controlled and sustainable manner, Dr Bano stated.
By expanding shrimp farming, Pakistan could reduce dependence on fluctuating marine catches and
establish a more reliable supply for export markets. Increased exports contribute to foreign exchange
earnings, which were crucial for a country facing persistent trade deficits and balance-of-payments
challenges, she suggested.
Shrimp farming also creates substantial employment opportunities, she said and added, the industry
required labor at multiple stages, including pond construction, hatchery operations, feed supply, farm management, harvesting, processing, packaging, transportation, and marketing.
As a result, it generates both direct and indirect employment in rural and semi-rural areas. Many
of these jobs could be created in regions where economic opportunities were limited, helping to
reduce unemployment and improve household incomes. Furthermore, the development of associated
industries such as cold storage, ice production, logistics, and seafood processing could stimulate
additional job creation throughout the value chain.
Another significant economic impact of shrimp farming was the productive use of saline and marginal
lands, she explained.
Large areas of southern Punjab and parts of Sindh contain soils and groundwater that were unsuitable
for conventional agriculture due to high salinity levels. These lands often produce low crop yields and
generate limited income for farmers, she noted adding that Shrimp farming provides an alternative use
for such areas because shrimp could be cultured in brackish or saline water conditions. By converting unproductive land into aquaculture farms, landowners could generate higher economic returns and
increase the overall productivity of rural resources, she suggested.
The growth of shrimp farming could also contribute to agricultural diversification. Pakistan’s agriculture
sector was heavily dependent on traditional crops such as wheat, cotton, rice, and sugarcane. Diversification into high-value aquaculture products reduces economic risk and creates new income streams for farmers.
Shrimp farming generally offers higher profit margins than many conventional crops when managed effectively, she maintained.
This can encourage investment in rural areas and improve the resilience of farming communities against
climate variability and market fluctuations affecting traditional agriculture, Dr Bano said
In addition, shrimp farming could attract domestic and foreign investment. Establishing commercial shrimp
farms requires infrastructure such as ponds, hatcheries, water management systems, aerators, feed mills,
and processing facilities. These investments contribute to economic activity and technological development. Government initiatives promoting shrimp aquaculture can further encourage private-sector participation,
leading to modernization of the fisheries sector and improved production efficiency.
Despite its economic potential, shrimp farming also presents challenges. Initial investment costs were
relatively high, and farmers require technical knowledge to manage water quality, disease prevention,
and feeding practices. Disease outbreaks could result in significant financial losses if bio-security measures
were inadequate.
Furthermore, access to quality shrimp seed, feed, and processing facilities remains limited in some regions. Addressing these challenges through training, research, infrastructure development, and supportive policies
was essential for long-term success. The economic contribution of shrimp farming in Pakistan was expected
to be substantial.
The Punjab government has launched several shrimp aquaculture projects worth billions of rupees, including a PKR 1,800 million development project and a broader PKR 4,430 million shrimp farming initiative. Earlier,
pilot projects exceeded PKR 4,147 million in investment, while the province has announced a long-term shrimp expansion plan worth PKR 50 billion. Government officials estimate that expansion of shrimp farming to large areas of saline land in South Punjab could generate approximately US$1 billion annually in shrimp exports, significantly increasing foreign exchange earnings and creating thousands of jobs in farming, processing, transportation, and export industries, she informed.
Shrimp farming has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to Pakistan’s economy. It could increase export earnings, create employment, promote rural development, utilize saline lands productively, encourage agricultural diversification, and attract investment. With proper planning, technical support, and sustainable management practices, shrimp farming can become an important driver of economic growth and help strengthen Pakistan’s aquaculture and fisheries sectors in the coming years, she concluded.
