Using traditional farming methods Bangladeshi shrimp production lags behind its Asian neighbors.
Shrimp and frozen foods processing plants in Bangladesh are running at less than 80 percent capacity due to low production, The Daily Star reported from a seminar organized by the Bangladesh Frozen Foods and Exporters Association (BFFEA).
Local frozen seafood processors are only receiving 18 percent of their required raw materials at present, against a minimum processing capacity of 265,000 metric tons a year.
“We have scope to boost production by technological intervention and expansion of modern cultivation,” said M Kabir Ahmed, a former official of the country's department of fisheries.
Bangladesh lags in shrimp production, behind China, Thailand, Vietnam and India. Following traditional cultivation methods, the country produces 350 kilograms of shrimp a hectare while China, Vietnam and Thailand produce 8-10 metric tons.
hmed said yield can be increased four to five times with technological upgrades and expansion at the farmers’level. Semi-intensive cultivation will also facilitate increased production, he added.
At present, shrimp is cultivated on 217,000 hectares in the coastal zone, mainly the southwest, and freshwater shrimp is grown on 30,000 hectares, allowing Bangladesh to earn foreign currency through exports.
Of the 184,939 metric tons of shrimp production in fiscal 2010-11, Bangladesh exported 54,891 metric tons. The volume of shrimp and frozen fish exports grew to 58,503 metric tons in fiscal 2011-12, according to BFFEA.
“We urge the government to increase allocation and incentives to increase the modern cultivation of shrimp,” said BFFEA President Md Amin Ullah.
“The government can facilitate farmers to get medicines and feed at low costs. It is also necessary to train farmers,” he said, recommending the establishment of demonstration farms to encourage farmers to adopt modern cultivation methods.
Former BFFEA Director AH Md Shahdat Ali Khan stressed the need to establish a common landing centre for all the processors, in a bid to ensure shrimp quality.
It will also reduce malpractices by dishonest middlemen, who inject water, liquid and various other substances to make the shrimps gain weight, he said.