Reality beyond your imagination

ISLAMABAD: The American Soybean Association (ASA) and the Fisheries Development Board (FDB) of Pakistan signed an agreement for a three-year programme aimed at improving the capacity, productivity, quality, and profitability of the Pakistani fishing industry.

This public-private venture is being funded by a $2 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture. The Pakistani aquaculture sector has been held back by the limited availability of high quality fish feed, a deficit, which this programme will directly tackle. The programme will implement feed trials, with the goal of building capacity in the aquaculture sector and increasing the productivity and profitability of fish farmers. Pakistani fisheries have suffered from insufficient fish feed supplies, and without enough fish feed, the fish population cannot grow. This programme will directly target this problem.

The programme will begin with six select trial sites and will expand over three years, eventually reaching an estimated 4,000 farmers. This programme is an important part of the United States’ goal of increasing Pakistan’s agricultural productivity and improving its long-term food security. The US has provided more than $60 million in assistance to the Pakistani agriculture sector since 2009.