Octoober 1, 2007

 

Saudi company hopes to cash in on seafood market through desert shrimps

 

 

It may be hard to believe that a company could thrive trying to grow shrimps along the desert coast, but for it to become the largest shrimp producer in the world would have been simply astounding.

 

This is what National Prawn Co. (NPC), a Saudi Arabian company, has managed to achieve.

 

Currently believed to be the world's largest fully integrated desert coastal aquaculture project, it features a hatchery, farm and processing facility located south of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.

 

Costing more than US$350 million, the facility was established to tap into the global seafood market, after more than two decades of research into the viability of Red Sea shrimp farming, the company said. 

 

The company presently exports 13,000 tonnes of shrimp each year to more than 30 countries.

 

NPC has recently started the second phase of its pond expansion, which would boost production to more than 45,000 tonnes, thus making it to be the single largest shrimp supplier in the world.

 

At the same time, the company also sought to be an environmentally friendly aquaculture shrimp producer, boasting cutting-edge farming technologies and techniques, on top of strict standards.

 

NPC has been focusing its product offerings in the Middle East, with Egypt being the company's largest shrimp customer in the region, buying 1,000 tonnes each year.

 

The company is next targeting other high-growth areas such as Dubai.

 

The Middle East market presents a huge opportunity for seafood companies as consumption and consumer awareness grows. This would result in greater demand for high-value, quality seafood products, with the retail and hospitality sectors leading the growth trend, said Mohamed Gamal Zaki, Marketing Support Manager, National Prawn Co.

 

The company is set to make its debut at the Sea Food Expo 2007, the Middle East's first exhibition dedicated to the seafood industry, which will be held from October 29-31, 2007, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai.

 

National Prawn Co. joins a list of 65 companies that would be exhibiting at the first edition of the event.

 

Sea Food Expo 2007 aims to serve as a platform for regional and international companies seeking to penetrate the Middle East's burgeoning seafood market.

 

During the three-day show, exhibitors would feature seafood products, technology, cold storage systems, packaging and equipment for the industry.

 

By bringing together the world's leading seafood industry players under one roof, the exhibition would serve as the best sourcing event in the region for seafood and processed products and technology, said Raees Ahmed, Director, Orange Fairs & Events, the organiser of the show.