According to a report, appearing in the January 7th issue of this newspaper, a prospective local entrepreneur, keenly interested in investing in shrimp farming, has lamented that bureaucratic red tape has deprived the country of a modern shrimp farm in the coastal areas of Balochistan. Dilating upon his predicament from official cold response, he revealed that some four years ago he had approached the Balochistan government for 1,000 hectares of land for the project, but nothing has so far materialised.
He is reported to have also complained that completion of his plan would have given the country its biggest shrimp-farming project, capable of doubling Pakistani shrimp exports.
While regretting the official indifference to the project, he also gave an idea of its feasibility by referring to its total cost, including feed, electricity and other services per hectare, at around Rs 25,000,000, with the prospects of yielding as much profit.
As for the urgency of developing shrimp farming, he pointed out that it is virtually non-existent in the country, and urged the provincial government to allot land to other private parties also to promote it in Sindh and Balochistan, the latter being more suitable, but creeks in the former also having considerable potential.
As for the shrimps project, which has remained unheeded this far, the disillusioned prospective investor recalled that he had asked only for land. Moreover, emphasising the need of such projects, he also suggested that in case the government was unwilling to help him, for any reason, it should allow the same to other parties in the private sector. It will also to be noted that he had also offered to arrange electricity, besides hospitals, schools and colleges, on his own.
Referring to the prospects of generation of employment for thousands of people, in view of the requirement of a huge labour force to run the project, he pointed out that it could serve as a befitting training ground for the local people too. All in all, his prognosis that it would enable the vast coastal belt of Balochistan to prosper with small shrimp farms, and contribute to the economic development of the area should appeal to reason.
Now that concerted efforts are, supposedly, being made for optimal development of the country's tremendous economic resources, from a bold attempt at mobilising the private sector, the indifference of Balochistan government to such a vital project would certainly make a disquieting reading.
For it goes without saying that shrimp farming, which carries with it the promise of huge export earnings from increasing world demand, has remained languishing in its infancy rather too long.
It is certainly time to give it the long deprived attention to make the best of its tremendous potential. One has, of course, heard of efforts being made in that direction at both federal and provincial levels, from different strategies, but with little indication of real work undertaken for the purpose. Reference, in this regard, may be made, among other developments, to an encouraging news report appearing in last July.
It said that the federal government had decided to lay down a pro-active strategy for promoting shrimp farming along the coastline in Sindh and Balochistan. That report also had it that speaking at a brain storming meeting, in that connection, EPB Chairman had emphasised the need of chalking out a national road-map to promote shrimp farming, while advising its development on purely commercial basis.
This should indicate the government's awareness of the rich potential of such projects. Viewed in this perspective, one cannot but deplore the lack of co-ordination among the various agencies, to which the indifference of the Balochistan government to a lucrative project will evidently point.
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