June 25, 2008

 

Southern shrimp farmers are urging the Thai government to revive black tiger shrimp farming as vannamei shrimp has become less profitable.

 

Black tiger shrimp market prices have strengthened over the past few years while market prices for vannamei shrimp have suffered a rapid decline due to oversupply, according to Wanchai Phanatanate, chairman of the Phuket Shrimp Raisers Co-Operatives Ltd.

 

Wanchai said they want a clearer policy and more support from the government to revive the black tiger shrimp industry and a possible method is to apply zoning to divide areas for the cultivation of vannamei and black tiger shrimp.

 

Thailand's success in farming vannamei shrimp in the past five years had led to oversupply. Shrimp output this year is expected to exceed 520,000 tonnes, compared to the 200,000 tonnes produced in 2002.

 

The high supply had led to a rapid drop in prices for years, forcing small shrimp farmers and hatcheries out of business as their earnings could not cover the rising production costs, Wanchai said.

 

Wanchai said many shrimp farmers have left Thailand to work for hatcheries in Bangaldesh, which has shifted its focus to black tiger shrimp farming.

 

His co-operative, which groups 77 members in Phuket, is ready to make the switch as demand for premium-grade shrimp on the island remains strong with a shrimp consumption of 10 tonnes per day.

 

Wanchai said shrimp feed producers had persuaded many farmers to raise vannamei shrimp and that food processors and exporters also preferred the vannamei due to their lower costs.

 

The Fisheries Department is now drawing up a plan to balance the production of the two types of shrimp, with the goal to raise black tiger shrimp production to 30 percent of total output in the next five years.

 

Black tiger shrimp's popularity had dropped due to its low survival rate and requirement of low population – producers could raise 120,000 to 200,000 vannamei shrimp on an area of 1,600 square metres but only 80,000 black tiger shrimp may be raised with the same amount of area.

 

The yield of black tiger shrimp on 1,600 square metres is about 500 to 600 kg, a far stretch from vannamei yield of four tonnes. The vannamei shrimp also consume as much feed as the black tiger species, especially during the first two months in hatcheries.

 

A large supply of vannamei shrimp has changed the structure of Thailand's shrimp exports in recent years. Five years ago, black tiger shrimp dominated shrimp export volume, accounting for more than 85 percent of the total 200,000 tonnes exported. Last year, the volume plunged to 23,934 tonnes or only 6.7 percent of the total exports of 356,080 tonnes, with 93.3 percent occupied by vannamei shrimp.