Thai black tiger shrimps awaiting chance to regain market share

 

 

Exports of black tiger shrimp from Thailand have a chance to recover some of its market share that had been lost to the vastly popular vannamei white shrimp.

 

Black tiger shrimp made up more than 85% of Thailand's shrimp exports in 2004 at 200,000 tonnes, but exports plunged to 5,000 tonnes in 2008 and 2,000 tonnes in 2009 - a tiny share of the 360,000 to 380,000 tonnes of shrimp estimated to have been exported last year.

 

 

Sujint Thammasart, executive vice-president of Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, said researchers had worked to develop a specific pathogen-free (SPF) black tiger breeding stock in greenhouses.

 

The system keeps parent breeders free from diseases and produces healthy post-larval shrimp. With biosecure farming, these small shrimp will have strong disease-resistance properties. Good breeders can yield more than one tonne of shrimp per rai, he said.

 

CPF plans to export about 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of black-tiger shrimp this year, from total exports of 50,000 tonnes of shrimp.

 

CPF's move will ensure farmers raise more black tiger shrimp, but farmers should enter into contracts with buyers - normally cold storage operators and food processors - before farming to ensure their produce will find a market, according to Sujint.

 

More importantly, farmers can find a niche by producing large black tiger shrimp, at about 20 to 25 per kg, compared with 60 to 70 white shrimp, he said.

 

Demand for black tiger shrimp is quite strong in Europe and Japan, with India and Vietnam as major suppliers, he said.

 

The average price of white shrimp (60-70 head per kg) has declined steadily over the past five years to from THB122 (US$3.7) to THB97.85 (US$2.96) a kg last year.

 

Raising black tiger shrimp for export would not only balance Thai exports but also keep Thai products competitive in the world market, he said.

 

The Office of Agricultural Economics expects Thailand's white shrimp to face tough competition with produce from Vietnam and Indonesia.

 

Vietnam, where black tiger shrimp make up nearly the entire output of 380,000 tonnes, started raising more white shrimp in 2009 with a goal of becoming the regional shrimp processing hub within a few years.

 

Indonesia has also announced that it will support private and public ventures in the integrated white shrimp industry, starting with breeders, hatcheries, farms and processing plants. Its output stood at 300,000 tonnes in 2008 and it aims for volume on par with Thailand's in the near future.

 

It is beneficial for Thailand to have a second product line - black tiger shrimp - in order to maintain the country's export competitiveness, said Sujint.