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Bangladesh has not been able to capture this huge
international market of shrimp as commercial farming of ‘Vannamei’ species,
which occupies 80% of the world market, is not allowed.
Farmers, producers and exporters are not getting bank loans just because of production permission as a pilot project. As a result, they are not able to invest in this foreign exchange earning sector. In this situation, the shrimp exporters have sought permission for 'commercial' production of Vannamei shrimp in place of the 'pilot' project.
According to the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA), there is no alternative to 'Vannamei' shrimp farming in the interest of sustaining the shrimp industry, one of the main sources of foreign exchange in Bangladesh. Only Vannamei shrimp can hold the world market by expanding the country's shrimp industry. Therefore, it is necessary to take steps for export by exposing commercial 'Vannamei' shrimp farming by formulating a simple policy quickly.
According to sources, the production of Bagda and lobster is declining in the country due to various reasons. Besides, Bangladesh is not able to compete in the export of frozen shrimp in the international market. For this reason, there has already been a thunderstorm in the white gold famous shrimp industry. Especially due to low prices of Vannamei shrimp in the world market and adequate demand, the country's exporters are not able to hold the shrimp market. As a result, the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) has been petitioning the government for the last 20 years to allow the cultivation of Vannamei shrimp to retain the international market as well as to keep the shrimp industry alive. In September 2019, the government allowed the cultivation of Vannamei variety of shrimp. The project was then piloted at the Paikgachha Lona Pani Kendra in Khulna under the Department of Fisheries and the Fisheries Research Institute, a joint venture between MUC Foods of Jessore BSCIC Industrial City and Sushilan, a non-government development organization in Satkhira. Whose average production was 9 per hectare.
Meanwhile, BFFEA has mentioned in a statistic that the average production of shrimp in Bangladesh is 341 kg per hectare. In neighboring India, the production of Vannamei shrimp averages 7,102 kg per hectare. In other words, the production of ‘Vannamei’ shrimp is 6,761 kg more per hectare than that of Bagda shrimp. Evidence of which is also found in the production of ‘Vannamei’ shrimp, which was experimentally cultivated in Khulna. However, there are systematic differences in shrimp farming. For example, the old method of shrimp farming in Bangladesh is still in use. On the other hand, semi-intensive method is used in Vannamei shrimp farming.
S Humayun Kabir, Vice President, BFFEA, said that out of 105 frozen fish processing and exporting companies in the country, only 28 are currently operating due to lack of shrimp. The other 77 are closed. At present, only 10-15 percent of the capacity and capacity of shrimp produced in the country is meeting the demand. As a result, processing costs are also higher. In this situation, if the industry is to turn its head, there is no alternative to increase the production of shrimp by cultivating Vannamei.
He said that Vannamei shrimp is being produced commercially in the remaining 14 countries except Bangladesh, the only one in Asia. At the moment in our country the demand for commercial production of this species of shrimp. At the same time, he demanded that commercial production of Vannamei shrimp be allowed on the site of the pilot project.
Khulna District Fisheries Officer Joydev Pal said the government is considering allowing commercial Vannamei shrimp farming in Bangladesh as well, considering the survival of shrimp in the world market. It is hoped that the country will soon allow Vannamei shrimp farming.
Source: Online/SZK
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