A prime minister’s sub-committee has set 120 days to prepare the Pakistan shrimp farming roadmap. The roadmap will cover expanding shrimp farming, improving value addition and raising exports.
Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry chaired the sub-committee meeting on aquaculture and the shrimp value chain in Islamabad on Tuesday, October 27. The meeting brought together provincial fisheries officials and federal institutions to build a coordinated plan for turning aquaculture into a competitive, export-oriented industry.
The 120-day deadline sits inside a wider 24-month process of implementation and review. The sub-committee will produce a comprehensive report based on verified data and recommendations from stakeholders.
Pakistan shrimp farming roadmap: what was decided
The exercise will first establish a baseline for the sector. It will then identify bottlenecks across the value chain and propose measures to improve production, processing and export competitiveness.
Seven technical working groups were approved, along with a projection and costing cell. Together, they will prepare 14 reports and export projections, with responsibilities assigned to the relevant institutions.
A common framework for data collection and validation was also adopted. That framework will guide how challenges are prioritised, how reform proposals are developed and how progress is monitored.
An initial 14-day action plan was approved at the same meeting.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the fisheries departments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Officials from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the ministries of food security and maritime affairs also took part.
Why shrimp, and why now
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called export-led growth the government’s top priority. The federal budget for the current fiscal year, FY27, was framed with the same objective, Dawn reported.
Shrimp farming fits that objective because it can add value before export. Raw catch earns less than processed, graded and traceable seafood. A roadmap that fixes processing, cold chains and traceability therefore matters as much as farming more shrimp.
Earlier this year, the federal government said Pakistan’s exports of fish and fish preparations had reached a record $568 million in the previous fiscal year, FY26. Seafood is mainly shipped to China, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Indonesia and the United States.
That record is the starting point for the new exercise. Feature Pakistan has covered rising food exports and fish exports as part of the wider export story.
What the provinces proposed
Sindh’s secretary for livestock and fisheries said a feasibility study was being prepared for a 3,500-acre shrimp farm in the province. He also pointed to the need to address challenges in value addition and traceability.
Punjab’s Aquaculture and Fisheries Secretary, Rana Saleem Afzal, said the province was working to introduce shrimp farming. He said many areas in Punjab were non-cultivable because of high salinity in underground water, and efforts were under way to establish hatcheries in such areas.
He acknowledged, however, that building an effective value chain remained a major challenge. Farming shrimp is only the first step. Moving it, processing it and selling it at export standard is where the value is won or lost.
Other participants presented proposals to improve shrimp processing and value addition for exports as well as local consumption. They noted that shrimps and prawns remain in high demand in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In April, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz noted that progress had been achieved in developing infrastructure for shrimp farming projects in Sargodha Estate, Aliwala and Shahgarh. Punjab had launched the Blue Economy Programme to develop unused lands and introduce a modern scientific system for shrimp farming.
What happens next
The next meeting will review identified bottlenecks and the baseline data needed to promote shrimp farming. The 14-day action plan comes first.
The 120-day clock runs from Tuesday’s meeting. By that measure, the roadmap should be ready in late February 2027, with implementation and review continuing over the following 24 months.
Source: Dawn, “In bid to boost exports, govt sets 120-day deadline for roadmap to expand shrimp farming”, published 27 October 2026 (20:58 PKT), https://www.dawn.com/news/2040236/in-bid-to-boost-exports-govt-sets-120-day-deadline-for-roadmap-to-expand-shrimp-farming
Frequently asked questions
What is the Pakistan shrimp farming roadmap?
It is a plan to be prepared within 120 days to expand shrimp farming, improve value addition and boost exports, based on verified data and stakeholder recommendations.
