Commercial farming of Vannamei shrimp gets green light

Entrepreneurs in the country are looking to unlock the untapped potential of Vannamei shrimp farming by going into commercial farming backed by the assistance of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

The decision to back Vannamei shrimp farming was made in an Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) meeting involving a management level committee aiming to expand export trade last month.

According to EPB sources, it was decided in a meeting of this committee on March 8 that to survive in the competitive global market, steps have to be taken to accelerate the commercial production of Vannamei shrimps.

Therefore, on August 16, in a meeting of the same committee, the decision to take appropriate steps to patronise Vannamei shrimp’s commercial production was made. The steps would be implemented by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

The Vannamei shrimp pilot project has shown promise, and commercial production of this shrimp would be possible soon, the representative of the ministry said in the meeting.

Department of Fisheries sources said that 11 companies have already applied to the ministry to start commercial farming of Vannamei shrimp, and the technical committee of the ministry has already inspected the infrastructure, capacity and transportation system of the institutions.

To test the feasibility of experimental Vannamei shrimp farming in Bangladesh, the Ministry of Fisheries and livestock had approved three pilot projects. Farmers said that they have been successful in experimental farming under this project.

“In 2021, the experimental cultivation of Vannamei shrimp was carried out for the first time. That year, in 109 days, a one-acre pond produced 4,101 kg of Vannamei shrimp. This year, 4,445 kg shrimp were produced per acre in 88 days,” Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) Vice-President S Humayun Kabir told The Business Post.

Considering this success, he hopes the government will give commercial approval for Vannamei shrimp farming.

Jashore’s Vannamei shrimp farmer and MU Sea Foods Ltd Managing Director Shyamal Das said that a one-acre pond produced 4,445 kg of Vannamei shrimp. Accordingly, per hectare production will be 11,100 kg of shrimp.

Vannamei shrimps were farmed in a one-acre brackish water pond at Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) in Paikgachha, Khulna last year. On August 5, the shrimps were caught after they were 88-day-old. It was found that compared to last year, the yield from the same-sized pond increased by 344 kg.

The promising result has made the farmers hopeful, and they have demanded the chance for commercial farming of Vannamei shrimp as soon as possible.

In shrimp export, Bangladesh is lagging in the global market. Once, the second highest export income came from the export of frozen shrimp, but now this sector ranks merely seventh.

Bangladesh’s frozen shrimp export earnings in the 2013-14 fiscal year were $638 million. It kept declining year by year and in the 2021-22 fiscal year, it came down to $407 million.

BFFEA leaders have said that this sector is earning less due to the lack of raw materials. The contribution of shrimp to export earnings has declined. Out of the 105 frozen shrimp processing plants in the country, only 35 are now operational. Others have shut down due to raw material scarcity.

Among the shrimp exporting countries in Asia, Bangladesh is the only one where Vannamei shrimp farming has not started commercially. This shrimp is now being cultivated commercially in 62 countries around the world, 15 among them in Asia.

Vannamei shrimp, also known as the whiteleg shrimp, accounts for a staggering 77 per cent of the global shrimp trade. It is in high demand in the global market as the price is lower than that of Tiger prawn (Bagda).

The Vannamei shrimp breed is native to the Easter Pacific coast. Commercial cultivation of Vannamei shrimp began in 1987 in the Philippines, in 1988 in Thailand and China, in 2000 in Vietnam and Myanmar, and in 2008 in India.

According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation and Global Aquaculture Alliance data, in 2018, Vannamei shrimp production in the world was 35.5 lakh tonnes, Tiger prawn production was 5.5 lakh tonnes, and Giant River prawn (Galda) production was 2.4 lakh tonnes.

Besides, the production of other shrimps has been three lakh tonnes. Among them, Asia, China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia produced 23.91 lakh tonnes of Vannamei shrimp in 2018.

Production in these countries increased to 31.12 lakh tonnes in 2019. Compared to these countries, the production of this shrimp in Bangladesh is zero.