March 17, 2009

Sureerath Farm's shipment of 40 tonnes of organic shrimp to Switzerland and Germany marks a fresh start for Thailand's commercial shrimp industry this year.

The exports represent Thailand's first foray into the organic shrimp market, a fairly new product even for health-conscious European customers, reports an official news organisation.

According to media reports, the shipment also marked a new beginning for Thailand's shrimp industry, which has an environmentally dirty past.

Sureerath Farm in Laem Sing district of Chanthaburi province, 220 kilometres east of Bangkok, is the first and still the only Thai farm to receive certification from Naturland, an association of organic farmers in Germany, for meeting standards for raising shrimp and ensuring product quality.

The certification paved the way for Sureerath to secure orders this year from Switzerland's Co-op retailer and Germany's Deutsche See, an organic sea food distributor. Sureerath Farm president Prayoon Hongrat is one of Thailand's pioneers of organic shrimp farming.

Five years ago, Sureerath Farm went completely organic, refusing to use any chemical-based feed meal or medicine in its ponds, lowering the density of its shrimp stock and installing wastewater recycling that avoids environmental damage.

Prayoon said the sustainable practices cost about 30 percent more than conventional shrimp farming.