October 17, 2005

Philippines hopes to triple shrimp production by 2006

The Philippine government estimates that the country's shrimp production will triple in 2006, upon its successful trial on Peneus vannamei (P. vannamei), also known as Pacific White shrimp.

Its Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), recently agreed to continue its verification studies on P. vannamei to broaden the country's aquaculture base and increase shrimp production.

BFAR's director Malcolm Sarmiento said that the country could gain from producing P. vannamei-which grows faster than tiger prawns and requires cheaper low-protein food-since US consumers, the world's biggest shrimp market, increasingly prefer P. vannamei over other species.

There is also strong demand from Taiwan, Thailand and China, the world's biggest producer of this shrimp species with a yield of over 300,000 tonnes in 2003 alone.

P. vannamei production is also booming in the US, Venezuela and Brazil.