The US Department of Agriculture has awarded a $2 million grant towards improving aquaculture capacity and productivity in Pakistan. Aquafeed availability is a major bottleneck for aquaculture development in the country and this grant will fund a three-year joint project by the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the Fisheries Development Board (FDB) of Pakistan to address this issue.
According to Associated Press of Pakistan, the program will begin with six feeding trial sites and will expand over three years, eventually reaching an estimated 4,000 farmers.
The program will also include an assessment of the Pakistani fish industry, a variety of technical trainings and a public awareness campaign.
The US has provided more than $60 million in assistance to the Pakistani agriculture sector since 2009 with the goal of increasing Pakistan's agricultural productivity and improving its long-term food security.
