The government has also formulated a guideline for the commercial farming of non-native vannamei shrimp two years after giving permission for trial production. (reported the Dhakatribune.com)
A letter was sent from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to the director general of the Department of Fisheries on Wednesday, allowing the commercial farming of the shrimp. The government has also formulated a guideline for the commercial farming of the vannamei shrimp.
Farmers said the vannamei shrimp is disease-tolerant and its growth is also satisfactory. The cost of this shrimp farming is very low. As a result, farmers will benefit a lot. While black tiger shrimp production costs Tk100 (USD0.94), vannamei costs Tk50 (USD 0.47).
Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) Vice President S Humayun Kabir said: “These shrimp are being farmed in regions like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. Now that we are allowed to farm it commercially, farming will expand and the farmers will achieve success.â€
The Khulna division fisheries department Deputy Director Md Tofaz Uddin Ahmed said: “The Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute is involved in the research on this shrimp. In light of their opinion, permission has been given for it to be produced commercially. This year, 12 establishments received permission for experimental cultivation of vannamei.â€
Of the 12 establishments in Khulna region that have received permission for experimental farming of vannamei shrimp, six are in Khulna, one in Satkhira and one in Jessore. The other four institutes were instructed in vannamei farming after infrastructural reform.
Traders and exporters had been clamouring for several years to farm the more-profitable vannamei variety of shrimp. In view of the demand, the Department of Fisheries recently allowed eight institutions in Khulna region to bring shrimp fry of vannamei species from Thailand for experimental cultivation.
On May 9, 2022, MU Sea Foods brought 1.2 million vannamei fry from Thailand and started farming in the ponds of the Saltwater Centre of the Fisheries Research Institute in Paikgacha.
The establishments that received permission are – Fahim Sea Foods of Batiaghata in Khulna, Paikgacha Grotech Aquaculture Limited, Ion Shrimp Culture of Koira, EFG Aqua Farming of Dumuria, JBS Food Products and Industries Limited of Batiaghata and Radiant Shrimp Culture-1 of Satkhira’s Shyamnagar.
Shrimp traders said that the farming of golda (freshwater prawn) and bagda (black tiger shrimp) cannot be conducted more than once a year (twice if there are mortalities during a cycle). However, vannamei can be farmed thrice a year. A normal pond can produce 300-400kg of shrimp per hectare. On the other hand, it is possible to produce 7,000-8,000kg of vannamei shrimp on the same area of land.
It took five years for vannamei shrimp to go from experimental cultivation to commercial production in India. Vannamei shrimp farming started experimentally in Paikgacha, Khulna, in 2021 under the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI).
That year, two companies were successful in its farming. After that in 2022, 12 institutions were granted permission to grow vannamei shrimp and are seeing success.
Traders and exporters involved in frozen shrimp export have been demanding approval of commercial production of Vannamei Shrimps in Bangladesh instead of freshwater prawns and black tiger shrimp as exports to European and American markets can bring back the golden days of shrimp exports.
Country’s export figure of shrimp from Fiscal Year 2013-14 to 2020-21 shows a steady decline. In FY 2013-14 Bangladesh earned USD550 million by exporting shrimp, in FY 2017-18 it came down to USD 409 million and finally in FY 2020-21 it came down to 329 USD million, according to the data of Fisheries Department and Export Promotion Bureau.
Currently there are 105 approved frozen food processing factories in Bangladesh but only 60 of them are operating due to the struggle for shortage of raw materials.
In Bangladesh, 258,000 ha of land are used for shrimp farming where 300 to 400 kg of freshwater prwan and black tiger shrimp/ha are produced in 160 days. But producers say that the farming cycle is only twice a year, making the production cost too high.
