Punjab CM Naqvi okays shrimp farming pilot project

Punjab Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi has approved a pilot program to introduce shrimp farming in the province, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.  

According to the plan, shrimp aquaculture will be introduced on 100,000 acres of uncultivable land in a selected district in the first phase. 

Later, ten shrimp farms of 10,000 acres each will be established on barren lands in the province.

According to the sources, the local investors will be provided free land for prawn or shrimp farming for a specified period and after the success of the pilot phase, the shrimp farming project will be expanded across the province. 

In Punjab, 1.5 million acres of uncultivable land are available for this purpose. An experiment of prawn aquaculture on 1250 acres of land has already been successful in the province under a federal government project, the sources said. 

The chief minister also called for a comprehensive plan for the promotion of shrimp farming in the province.

Meanwhile, a proposal is also being assessed to provide loans in easy installments to small farmers for shrimp farming up to one kanal area.

Prawn farming is an environmentally friendly business and it can earn billions of dollars in foreign exchange, the sources added. 

The officials believed that self-reliance can be achieved through shrimp farming including setting up shrimp, hatcheries, feed mills, and processing plants.

Even a small country like Ecuador is earning more than 4.5 billion dollars annually by exporting shrimps, the sources hinted. 

Mohsin Naqvi asked for a comprehensive plan for the promotion of shrimp farming.