Shrimp Aquaculture as Pakistan's Next Blue Economy Opportunity: Lessons from Dhabeji Farm

Pakistan has vast coastal resources and areas of saline and brackish-water lands that are suitable for shrimp farming; however, shrimp farming is not well developed because of inadequate hatchery capacity, poor infrastructure, lack of research and extension services, and low compliance with international quality standards. The Dhabeji farm has demonstrated that saline land can be utilized for intensive shrimp farming with modern production technology and integrated value chain systems to generate employment and export income. This model could be scaled to make shrimp farming a true cornerstone of Pakistan's Blue Economy. However, to achieve this potential, some constraints need to be overcome, such as hatchery development, infrastructure, research and extension, international certification and compliance with sustainability requirements, including Turtle Excluder Device (TED) requirements. The study suggests the scientific identification of suitable sites for shrimp aquaculture using the GIS based mapping, the development of integrated aquaculture parks with shared infrastructure, expansion of SPF hatchery capacity, productive utilization of idle and underutilized ponds and improvement of processing, certification, and export infrastructure to boost Pakistan's competitiveness in shrimp export and contribute to the development of the Blue Economy.