Dim future of shrimp business in Pakistan.

Byline: Syed Fazl-E-Haider

More strategies and opportunities can help grow Balochistan shrimp availability

Experts are of the view that stock of shrimps in Pakistani sea will reduce with the passage of time, and in order to meet the increasing demand, shrimps being caught recently were the mangroves with small eye nets, which is said to be very dangerous for ecosystem. Present government of Prime Minister Imran Khan should announce incentives for induction of the private sector in fisheries development particularly shrimp raising, as the interested entrepreneurs and investors can promote the shrimp farming in the country purely on the commercial basis. The present government needs to devise a pro-active strategy for capturing more market share of shrimp business in the global market by promoting shrimp farming alongside the coastal line in Sindh and Balochistan.

Various government agencies including Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) may chalk out a national road map to promote the shrimp farming in coastal areas. It is a positive step in this direction that the State Bank of Pakistan devised a detailed plan to finance the fisheries sector, which receives bank credits just 0.4 percent of the total agricultural credit disbursements. The provincial governments should allot lands in coastal districts to private parties interested in promoting shrimp farming. Introduction to the modern technology and application of sophisticated techniques in the field must be the focus of economic planners involved in devising a strategy for capturing more market share of shrimp business in the world.

Commercial shrimp raising has a bright future in Pakistan. Shrimp is considered favorite seafood in many western countries including USA. The demand for quality shrimp worldwide is growing each year. Depletion of natural shrimp stocks in the wild is occurring rapidly. Shrimp farming in the world has grown into a multi billion-dollar giant, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and much-needed foreign exchange in many countries. Owing to the technological advancement and new techniques as introduced by the researchers, shrimp can now be raised and harvested round the year in various climates. Shrimp farming continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the entire aquaculture industry. The sector has shown explosive growth during the last two decades. Worldwide, there are...