From Gharo to the Global Market: Can Aquaculture Become Pakistan’s Next Blue Economy?

Pakistan has always viewed its coastlines primarily from a fishing, ports and maritime security perspective. However, the Arabian Sea, beneath the surface, harbors another economic opportunity that has been relatively undeveloped – aquaculture.

But that could be changing soon. The establishment of modern aquaculture farms in Gharo, Thatta, featuring tilapia, pangasius and ornamental fish culture and Pakistan's first reported fully-fledged all male giant freshwater prawn hatchery, marks a leap from the mere catching of aquatic resources to their scientific and commercial production.

It is an opportune moment.

Aquaculture is no longer a small potato business. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported the global production of aquatic animals in 2024 was 209 million tonnes, with 103 million tonnes from aquaculture (53 per cent). Estimated farm gate value of the sector was $371 billion and aquatic animal product trade in the world is $184 billion. There are over 600 million people globally that depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods.

Though Pakistan has the natural potentials to contribute much more to this growing economy, the contribution of the country is still small.

According to the latest FAO GLOBEFISH profile, total fisheries and aquaculture production in Pakistan is estimated at 678,698 tonnes and fisheries contributed around 0.26 percent of GDP in 2023. The country's coast line is about 2600km in length and the exclusive economic zone is over 200,000 square kilometres. However, the consumption of fish was just about 1.4 kg per capita in 2023.

These numbers demonstrate the issue and opportunity.

There is no shortage of water resources, coastal ecosystems and protein in Pakistan. Lacking what it historically had is the scale, technology, investment and value added infrastructure to make those resources a modern aquaculture economy.

The changes at Gharo are thus noteworthy as a harbinger of a new model. Pak Gharo Agri and Livestock Farms explains that they have controlled pond systems, oxygenation, water quality monitoring, nutrition management, biosecurity, and are experimenting with polyculture and ornamental fish farming.

The introduction of the PakRos hatchery takes that experiment a step further. It is the first giant freshwater prawn hatchery located in Pakistan, which specializes in all male specimens of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, developed by Pak Gharo, in collaboration with Malaysia's GK Aqua Sdn Bhd. The technology will be used to achieve faster growth and uniformity of prawns, which may help to boost yield and commercial potential. It was formally introduced during a technical roadshow in February 2026, in the presence of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan at Gharo.

The economic arguments are strong. All male production can eliminate the biological competition caused by mixed sex populations and increase the predictability of growth commercially. The species can also be set up in polyculture with tilapia and pangasius to produce various products in the same production area.

But the question shall not be whether a few modern farms are going to make it. It will be if the model can be scaled or not.

The export of seafood products from Pakistan alone is evidence enough of the market it has in the international scenario. Seafood exports in FY2024 to 25 were valued at approximately USD 465 million and the total fisheries product exports were 216,350 tonnes, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Later in FY2025 to 26, when final PBS data was available, exports were estimated to be around $482.1mn and 215,170 tonnes, showing that the sector is already bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars even with relatively small aquaculture development.

The numbers reveal the bigger opportunity. A large proportion of Pakistan's sea food export base is still dependent on capture fisheries. With environmental protection, disease control, good seed, quality feed and cold chain facilities, aquaculture has the potential to supply high value species in a more controlled and scalable way, without straining wild stocks as much.

It is here policy will make the difference between the Gharo experiment being a successful but interesting story and the start of a true blue economy policy.

Quality seed and low cost finance is required for farmers. Food safety and traceability systems need to be recognised internationally accepted by the exporters. Reliable electricity, water management and cold storage are needed by the producers. Research needs to be directly relevant to the farmer, and should not be trapped in the laboratory. Most importantly, aquaculture must be seen as a serious business, not a side-line to conventional fish production.

It's not just the opportunity of fish. It encompasses prawns, shrimp, ornamental species, processing, hatcheries, feed production, as well as logistics and export services. It is also a means of providing an alternative income stream to coastal and rural communities.

The importance of Gharo is not just that Pakistan has begun to utilize tilapia, pangasius or freshwater prawns for agriculture in an efficient manner. It's a nation with a long coastline and lots of water resources inside, which may finally be starting to see to water not only as a resource to be used, but an economic asset to be developed.

For years, Pakistan has been discussing the possibility of realizing its blue economy potential. The more difficult one is to convert this potential into production, jobs and export earnings.

The ponds in Gharo could be a first step. The potential, however, is great when technology, investments and policies all go in right direction and that can be a Pakistan that is not just harvesting what its waters bring forth, but learning to produce more of it.