AquaHatch International (Pvt.) Ltd.

Development Project

Freshwater ecosystem in Pakistan is known to be home of about 200 fish species of which 30 are considered as commercially viable due to huge local demand. Over the time because of overfishing/overharvesting, the fisheries resources have depleted drastically. In order to cater local demand of protein from fish, the fresh water ecosystem is at constant stress posed due to introduction of invasive species to local bodies. Aquaculture is one way to reduce the pressure on freshwater bodies and to meet the local fish demand. It emerged as an industry in Pakistan in 1980s, when its contribution in overall national fish production became noticeable. Currently, fish production through aquaculture in Pakistan has low quality and does not cater to the local and international demand potential especially the middle eastern and European markets. AquaHatch International’s team has been part of the initial aquaculture development initiatives in the country. Through the 3-decade long experience of company’s leadership, few observations came up i.e., it was a norm to produce 1ton of fish from 1 acre of fish farm and also the farming techniques were outdated, basic and poorly handled, with no feed given to carps (the main fish farmed). The Fisheries Development Board (in the leadership of Mr. Faisal Iftikhar, the CEO OF AquaHatch International Pvt. Ltd) then changed the business spectrum of aquaculture in Pakistan through the introduction of GIFT (Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia) Tilapia and Pangasius fish species to the aquaculture farmers, where Mono sex Tilapia and fast growing Pangasius changed the entire aquaculture spectrum. Fast forward, from 1ton the production went to 4 tons per acre and beyond. Feed mills started coming up in droves, chicken feed manufacturers also added dedicated feed producing units for fishes.

Most farmers now see these 2 fishes as most productive and commercially viable to farms. There are around 100,000 hectares of fish farms in 1 Province of Pakistan, neighboring the Sindh that is Punjab. It has 4 clusters where most waterlogged lands have been successfully converted into fish farms. One such Cluster is Multan-Muzaffargarh, their requirement for fish seed is 100 million annually. Currently, existing hatcheries are unable to fulfill this need, till now only 2 million seeds could be produced locally, rest there is heavy reliance on the imported seeds which has many problems i.e. (1) they are costly, (2) has low Survival rate as they have to be imported from Thailand. So, to cater to the demands of fish seeds for farms in Punjab, a consortium has been proposed and is developed with expertise, financial muscle and most importantly the vision to tap this opportunity. The business partners Include VitaFort Agro Asia-a Hungarian Company which has developed dozens of Such Hatcheries in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, Jaffer Agro Service (Pvt.) Ltd; has vast experience in Supplying Agricultural service, equipment and products to farmers across the country, Garibsons (Pvt.) Ltd; which is the Pakistan’s one of the top rice and Maze export company (one of Top 20 Exporters of Pakistan) and Deep Blue Seafoods (Pvt.) Ltd which has its 22 years of Fisheries export and Aquacultural Development experience. These companies have a firm footprint in all the agricultural regions of Pakistan thus the proposed project assures deep penetration into the Zones and Establish Service centers, the Distribution network and supply chain that could easily be achieved through this partnership.

Climatically proposed location in Sindh (Indus delta ecoregion) offers idealistic conditions for developing this hatchery, which not only provides favorable temperature (because of long summers) but has other suitable conditions needed to meet the survival ratios of the fish seeds to be grown under the proposed project. It can be noted that a detailed technical feasibility study and an initial business plan has been conducted by the VitaFort Agro Asia and the proposed project is currently in its development phase which aims at setting up a pilot of producing 10 million seeds initially and supplying it to the local fish farms in Punjab province. The project has already procured 100 acres of land where the operations will be scaled-up to around 50 million seeds in future.

PARTNERS

Garibsons

( annual Turnover US$ 180 Million)

Jaffer Agro Services

( Annual Turnover US $ 40 million)

Vita Fort Agro Asia

( Annual turnover is 150 million )

Deep Blue Seafoods

( Annual turn over of US$ 10 million )

The project location is situated in the prime potential hatchery belt in Sultanabad, district Thatta, Sindh. The hatchery will abstract water from the passing by water canal known as ‘Jam Branch’. 100 Acres of land has already been purchased for the hatchery construction. The location is prime in terms of public services and infrastructure availability. It lies within the proximity of well-established road network, with in the wind corridor (Gharo-Dhabeji wind Corridor) which will be able to meet the inhouse energy and electricity requirements (to be fulfilled by the renewable energy sources) and other public services (gas, telecommunication, electricity etc.). The purchased land is also situated at the distance of 60km from the financial hub of Pakistan i.e., Karachi with all dry and sea port and distribution facilities local and international. The land also connects to motorway M9 (50 kms away) as its 2 minutes off the National Highway which will also be beneficial in the efficient delivery and transport of live fish seeds to the farms of Punjab. The selected area also harbors local experienced fishermen and offers diverse employment opportunities in the hatchery.

The location is situated in the Indus Delta Ecoregion, the region has a rich ecological significance as there are a number of large and small natural water bodies in including Manchar lake, Keenjhar lake, Kalri lake, Haleji lake, and Chotiari reservoir, Nara canal etc. as the River Indus and its tributaries which are source of livelihood for communities living around these water bodies and entirely dependent on the fisheries resources. The whole idea of setting up a hatchery in the area is to harness the local skill potential and provide alternative livelihoods, which will also divert the pressure on the local aquatic bodies and will enable the aquatic species and fisheries to sustain their population and prevent over harvesting/overfishing. The Winters are less harsh and summers are long in this part of the country thus ideal for Overwintering of fish seeds so that bigger size seeds can be supplied to fish farmers in the month of March (stocking time) thus ensuring high rate of survival and easy for them to achieve bigger size of fish in the stipulated time period thus making the year crop more profitable with same inputs and operational cost.