The Punjab government has granted in-principle approval for a shrimp farming project spanning 30,000 acres across the province, as pilot schemes in Muzaffargarh and Sargodha move into the deployment of advanced machinery and artificial intelligence based technology. Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting where officials briefed her on ongoing shrimp aquaculture initiatives. The meeting was told that around 5,500 acres have already been developed into 1,000 shrimp farms, where stocking and production have begun. Officials said a survey conducted with the help of foreign experts identified nearly 40,000 potential sites for shrimp farming across the province. In Sargodha, shrimp farming will be carried out in 167 ponds across 500 acres in the village of 58 NB, with an annual production capacity of 10 million PL.