On 31 March, Homegrown Shrimp USA (HGS) hosted the opening ceremony for its first shrimp farming facility in the U.S, located in a rural, cattle and citrus community in the heart of Martin County. It produces Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), the most widely shrimp cultured worldwide, and includes a hatchery established 5 years ago that has been producing and selling shrimp post larvae to shrimp farmers in several countries around the world.
It also now boasts its newly finished indoor grow-out facility, which recently started operations. “HGS now creates in the U.S. a much-desired, premium, wholesome and sustainable shrimp that consumers can enjoy and also feel good about consuming it,†said Dr. Robins Macintosh, HGS CEO and CP Foods Senior Vice President. ” The US represents the largest shrimp market in the world. In 2018 there were no large successful year-round shrimp culture operations in the US but CPF felt we should change that – the US having made shrimp the number one seafood and CPF being one of the world’s most influential shrimp producers.”
HGS post larvae are produced from the top, genetically improved shrimp lines globally developed by the world-renowned, pioneering and industry leader Thai company Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), parent company to HGS.
HGS was established to showcase CPF’s shrimp culture technology and the CPF commitment to producing sustainable shrimp in those countries it trades and conducts business with. HGS’s hatchery has the capacity to produce over 60 million post larvae annually, and its new 80,000 ft2 indoor, metal building to grow the post larvae to market size – which includes 40 circular production tanks and 8 tanks to recycle water and collect solid wastes, as well as a state-of-the-art water recirculation system, and the ability to control and keep water temperatures – a critical limitation to outdoor culture of shrimp – at slightly over 30 degrees-C, ideal for shrimp growth, survival and well-being.
CPF has been a leader in the development of shrimp culture since 1985, when there were less than 500 tonnes of shrimp produced in the world. Today, that figure is over 5 million tonnes of shrimp – and much of that increase has been possible thanks to technologies developed within the CPF Group. Its pioneering advances in shrimp genetics and in culture system technologies have reduced the cost of shrimp to consumers, made more shrimp available to the huge U.S. market, and made shrimp the top seafood in the country.
The opening ceremony included speeches from Thailand’s Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Tanee Sangrat, and from Dr. Robins MacIntosh. Also in attendance were Mrs. Cholatip Kambhu Sangrat (spouse of Ambassador Tanee); Mr. Thitiwat Sukhasvasti Na Ayudhaya, Economic Counselor, Royal Thai Embassy; and Ms. Maria D. Sariol, Honorary Consul-General in Coral Gables. CPF executives present included Dr. Sujint Thamasart and Anat Julintron. Also in attendance were numerous HGS clients, friends of the company, and prominent members of the local community.
Dr. Macintosh’s final comments during the ceremony addressed the relevance of the innovative, industry-changing pioneering efforts embodied by HGS: “It is with disruptive technology being developed and optimised here [HGS] that aquaculture becomes one of the solutions for our deteriorating oceans…our mantra is ‘saving the oceans and helping feed people through aquaculture.’ Ultimately, as more knowledge is gained and efficiency improved in this facility, we envision these projects locally producing shrimp sustainably year-round anywhere in the world.â€
