Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced a major initiative to promote aquaculture in the province, with shrimp estates to be developed over a combined area of 5,600 acres in Sargodha and Alipur.
The chief minister said the project was the largest Blue Economy initiative undertaken in Punjab to date. She said the launch of shrimp farming would lead to a significant rise in provincial exports.
Under the project, barren and saline land is being brought into productive use through shrimp farming for the first time. The initiative is expected to create employment opportunities for thousands of young people.
According to the Sargodha shrimp farming project report, nine ponds have been prepared for shrimp farming over 20 acres. In the next phase, a survey for shrimp farming on an additional 10 acres has also been completed.
A quality control laboratory in Lahore, being developed at a cost of Rs4.5 billion, is 99 per cent complete. In Muzaffargarh, 98 per cent work has been completed on a laboratory aimed at research and providing a suitable environment for shrimp farming.
Installation of 32 tube wells and eight transformers for shrimp farming has also been completed. For research purposes, shrimp seed has been released into 64 ponds.
In Chak No 58, Sargodha, a shrimp estate and value chain will be established over 124 acres, where excavation of 57 ponds has been completed. In Rakh Ali Wali, Muzaffargarh, levelling and clearance of 2,507 acres of land for shrimp farms has been completed. Excavation work for 57 ponds and 50 tube wells in the same area has also been completed.
