The government has approved the commercial cultivation of vannamei shrimp -- also known as king prawn -- in Bangladesh. The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock approved the cultivation of vannamei shrimp in a letter to the Director General of the Fisheries Department on March 29. At the same time, guidelines for commercial shrimp cultivation in Bangladesh were provided. Vannamei shrimp now accounts for 77 percent of the world's shrimp trade. This species of shrimp – also known as the whiteleg shrimp is now being commercially cultivated in 62 countries.  Of these, 15 are in Asia. The demand for vannamei shrimp in the global market is high as the price is lower than that of Bagda shrimp. Read more: Climate change: Shrimp farming endangered in Khulna Bangladesh’s shrimp export has been in decline in the past few years as the country mainly cultivates and exports freshwater shrimp species such as black tiger shrimp, or ‘bagda’, and scampi shrimp, or ‘galda’. Exporters have been urging the government to allow commercial cultivation of King Prawn. The shrimp exporters of Khulna thanked the authorities for implementing their long-standing demand. Meanwhile, local shrimp producers have expressed concern over the development as they’re not well equipped to produce vannamei shrimp locally.  Abdur Rahim, a local shrimp producer from Khulna’s Paikgacha upazila said: “If the commercial cultivation of vannamei shrimp starts locally, we will face a huge loss in terms of shrimp production as the demand will decrease in the market.” Read more: Shrimp farmers in Bagerhat stare at starvation Among the shrimp exporting countries of Asia, commercial cultivation of the king shrimp was banned only in Bangladesh. Following approval from the Fisheries Department of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, Vannamei Shrimp has been harvested experimentally in six ponds of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) in Khulna’s Paikgacha upazila. And it has demonstrated significant commercial potential. What is vannamei shrimp? The vannamei species of shrimp, popularly known as the king prawn, is originally from the US state of Hawaii. Neighbouring India began commercial cultivation of vannamei shrimp in 2008. Meanwhile, in 1998, Thailand and China started commercial vannamei shrimp cultivation. Read More: Vannamei Shrimp pilot project shows commercial potential In 1987, the Philippines initiated commercial vannamei shrimp cultivation. Myanmar and Vietnam entered the market in the year 2000. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Global Aquaculture Alliance, The global vannamei shrimp production in 2018 was 35.5 lakh metric tons, while the bagda and galda shrimp production was 5.5 lakh metric tons and 2.4 lakh metric tons respectively. Apart from this, 3 lakh metric tons of other species of shrimps have been produced. Of the total global production of vannamei shrimp in 2018, 23.91 lakh metric tons were produced in China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In 2019, production in these countries increased to 31.12 lakh metric tons while Bangladesh's contribution to the market remained zero. According to experts, commercial production and export of Vanami shrimp can earn 3 to 4 billion US dollars in revenue and it will help Bangladesh regain its position in the global shrimp market. Read More: Shrimp industry reels from changing demand patterns, slump in world economy

Bangladesh’s shrimp export industry was already facing major declines, as 72 percent of the world’s shrimp market is occupied by vannamei shrimp, also known as white leg shrimp, while the country mainly exports black tiger shrimp, or ‘bagda’, and scampi shrimp, or ‘galda’. According to industry sources, Bangladesh's shrimp export business suffered another major setback as the current global economic slump also took a heavy toll on the world's food market. As a result, one of the major export items of Bangladesh, shrimp, has lost 80 percent of its previous demand on the world market. On top of that, export prices decreased by 40 percent. Read More: Exporters worry about losing markets as shrimp adulteration continues unabated Exporters and traders urged the government to approve commercial vannamei farming promptly. “Due to the high demand for vannamei shrimp in the world market, bagda and golda shrimp are gradually losing market share in the western market. Against the backdrop of the ongoing global economic recession, demand for bagda and galda shrimp from Bangladesh dropped by 80% in the previous year,” said S. Humayun Kabir, vice president of the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters’ Association.

Despite drives by police, Rab and the Fisheries Department in Bagerhat over the past few years to stop adulteration of shrimp, the unscrupulous practices of dishonest traders continue unabated. Shrimps from Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts are exported to several countries. Injecting jelly, water, rice starch, and harmful substances into shrimps to increase their weight and earn extra profits are causing concern among exporters and consumers. Shrimp exporters fear they may lose the overseas markets if shrimp adulteration continues. Shrimp was once the second-most exported product from Bangladesh but in the last few years it failed to hold up against the growing global competition and currently holds the seventh position among top exported goods from Bangladesh. Read more: Over 1000 kg shrimps injected with jelly seized in Chandpur In the last six months (July-December), mobile courts in Bagerhat seized some 1,660 kg of shrimp while traders were injecting jelly-like substances into them. Executive magistrates and the Bagerhat District Fisheries Office (DFO) conducted 17 mobile court drives in various areas of the district, including Bagerhat Sadar, Fakirhat, Mollahat, Chitalmari, Rampal, and Mongla during the period.

Shrimp once held the second spot in top export goods from Bangladesh but in the last few years it failed to hold up against the growing competition and fell down to seventh. Traders and exporters involved in frozen shrimp export have been demanding approval for commercial production of Vannamei Shrimps in Bangladesh instead of Freshwater Prawns (Golda Shrimp) and Tiger Prawns (Bagda) as its export to European and American markets can bring back the golden days of shrimp export. Fourteen of the 15 countries that cultivate shrimps in Asia and export to Europe, USA and other large importers have already been commercially producing Vannamei Shrimp and exporting it while Bangladesh lags far behind, SM Humayun Kabir President of Bangladesh Frozen food Exporters Association told UNB. Also read: Virus cripples Satkhira shrimp sector; farmers counting huge losses Country’s export figure of shrimp from Fiscal Year 2013-14 to 2020-21 shows a steady decline. In FY 2013-14 Bangladesh earned USD550 million by exporting shrimp, in FY 2017-18 it came down to USD 409 million, and finally in FY 2020-21 it came down to 329 USD million, according to the data of Fisheries Department and Export Promotion Bureau. How Vannamei can replace Bagda and Golda? Currently, there are 105 approved frozen food processing factories in Bangladesh but only 60 of them are operating due to the struggle for the shortage of raw materials. Also read: Climate change: Shrimp farming endangered in Khulna In Bangladesh, 2, 58,000 hectares of land are used for shrimp farming where 300 to 400 kg of Golda and Bagda shrimps per hectare are produced in 160 days. But as the Golda and Bagda shrimps cannot be produced in any land more than twice a year the production cost of these shrimps becomes very high. Comparatively high-yielding Vannamei Shrimp, with low production cost and easy availability, has been dominating the global market while Bangladesh’s shrimp industry suffers. Read More: Shrimp farmers in Bagerhat stare at starvation Recently, the Fisheries Department has given conditional approval to conduct two pilot projects for harvesting Vannamei Shrimp on 10 acres of land. According to project results, in just 110 days 10 to 15 MT of Vannamei shrimp can be produced per hectares of land which is quite high compared to 300-400 Kg of Bagda and Golda shrimp production in 160 days, said Prafulla Kumar Roy, owner Jagannath Balaram Subhadra hatchery contracted for the pilot project. Vannamei Shrimp can also be produced thrice in the same land in one year, he said. Read More: Chandpur: Coast Guard seizes 1MT shrimps inflated with jelly Shyamal Kumar Das, another owner of hatchery under the project said if the experimental initiative taken by the Fisheries Department to commercialise Vannamei shrimp production is implemented, it will be possible to produce four to six lakh MTs of shrimp like Bangladesh and India within the next five years. President of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association SM Humayun Kabir said, commercial production and export of Vanami shrimp can earn 3 to 4 billion US dollars revenue and it will help Bangladesh regain its position in the global shrimp market. Khodeza Begum, a housewife who came to Gallamari market of Khulna to buy shrimp said Vanamei shrimps are cheap and delicious. Read More: Vannamei Shrimp pilot project shows commercial potential Rabiul Sheikh, a fish seller said that the demand for this shrimp was low in the beginning, but it is increasing day by day. Prasenjit, who looks after Vannamei shrimp farming pilot project, said that harvesting of this shrimp does not have any adverse impact on nature rather vegetables can be cultivated around the shrimp enclosure. According to the pilot project data, 77 percent of the world’s shrimp market is occupied by Vannamei Shrimp. As production of this fish isn’t widespread in Bangladesh, the country has to compete for 23 percent of market share through exporting Freshwater Prawn (Golda Shrimp) and Tiger Prawn (Bagda) shrimp. Read More: Satkhira flood washes away Tk8.28 crore worth of fish, crab, shrimp.

Producers and exporters in Khulna are worried about falling production of shrimps, affecting exports from the region, for hurdles mainly stemmed from climate-induced changes in temperature. In FY2021-22, only 33,271 tonnes of shrimp were exported from Khulna, a sharp fall from 42,489 tonnes in FY2011-12. Industry operators say water bodies are losing their navigability, salinity level is fluctuating because of weaker force of natural high tides caused by moon’s gravitational pull, affecting the shrimp cultivation in the region. Read: Shrimp farmers in Bagerhat stare at starvation Humayun Kabir, Vice President of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters’ Association (BFFEA), told UNB that it seemed good days are gone for the shrimp industry. He said shrimp farming in Bangladesh began in the 1960s, and by the 1980s it grew up to an industry as commercial shrimp production led to the export of this fish species. “But it seems like the heyday of the shrimp business is coming to an end. Production is getting lowered, while demand and prices are also falling. All in all, the situation is really dire for those associated with the shrimp industry,” he said. Humayun also pointed out some reasons behind the decline in shrimp production including a shortage of shrimp minnows in the market. “The few minnows that farmers can manage die due to high temperature of water. Minnows are very sensitive. They can’t survive without proper water, food and environment,” he said. “Besides there are regular outbreaks of various diseases. That’s why the mortality of shrimps has increased manifold,” he added. Read: Chandpur: Coast Guard seizes 1MT shrimps inflated with jelly Golam Kibria Ripon, General Secretary of Khulna Division (Shrimp) Fry Trading Association, also said that salinity in the rivers in Khulna has become a major headache. “Usually the water in the rivers of Khulna region becomes saline in January. Last year, salinity of the rivers was delayed to February. Lack of saline water during the harvesting period is affecting shrimp farming badly,” he said. “Although the rate of salinity used to be 16-18 ppt in May-June period, it has come down to 8-10 ppt nowadays.” He said previously 60 to 70 percent of minnows survived after releasing them in hatcheries, but now protecting even 15-20 percent minnows has become a big challenge. Ripon said that dredging of the rivers is a must to keep them navigable. “As the water bodies are drying up due to climate change, finding water for shrimp farming is getting tough. Various species of shrimp minnows used to enter the enclosures during tidal surges in the past, which isn’t the case anymore,” he said. He said the quality of soil beneath the rivers may have degraded too. “All of these issues are making it hard for us to continue shrimp production,” Ripon added. Joydeb Kumar, Fisheries Officer of Khulna District, highlighted various measures that the government has taken to protect shrimp farming. Read:Vannamei Shrimp pilot project shows commercial potential “We’ve advised the farmers to increase the depth of their enclosures to keep water temperature normal. We’re also conducting drives to prevent the injection of harmful substances into the shrimps. Besides, we’re also conducting awareness-raising campaigns with cooperation from the shrimp farmers and manufacturers,” Joydeb said. Dr Mostafa Sarwar, a noted climate expert and Head of Urban and Regional Planning department of Khulna University of Science and Technology (KUET), provided a scientific explanation behind the death of shrimp minnows. “There is a difference between mature shrimps and their minnows regarding heat enduring capacity. Minnows can’t grow naturally in high water temperatures. Farmers release minnows to their enclosures in January-February when water temperature remains around 25 degrees Celsius. In March, water temperature rises to 27 degrees Celsius, which kills a large portion of the minnows,” Mostafa said. Mostafa added that rising water temperature is also responsible for viral infections. “The life cycle of viruses depends on temperature. Viruses present in the air are making hot water their new home, thus infecting minnows and killing them in droves”, Mostafa said.

Already hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, shrimp farmers in Bagerhat district have been dealt another severe blow this year -- incessant showers and consequent tidal surges. This year, shrimps, crabs and different species of fish worth over Tk 6 crore have been swept away by tidal surges with more than 8,000 shrimp enclosures going under water across the southern district, pushing many farmers to the brink of starvation. In Chanditola village of Bagerhat’s Rampal upazila, for instance, most of the farmers have lost their shrimp enclosures to the late-monsoon showers and tidal surges. READ: Bagerhat fruit farmer eyes foreign markets to expand thriving business. The scenario is the same in villages across other upazilas of the district, prompting the District Shrimp Farmers’ Association to demand from the government an insurance scheme for their members to protect them from such unexpected losses.

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) on Wednesday confiscated 6,050kg (6.05 metric tonnes) of shrimps injected with a harmful jelly-like substance to artificially increase their weight from the Khan Jahan Ali Bridge Toll Plaza, Khulna. It also detained two men – Md Abdur Rahman, 35, and Md Faruk Gazi, 20, according to Lieutenant Commander Labeeb Usama Ahmadullah, Coast Guard media officer. Later, representatives of Fish Inspection and Quality Control ( FIQC) Khulna fined Abdur Rahman, Faruk, and three organisations a cumulative Tk1.30 lakh, Labeeb said. Earlier, on information, a team of BCG Station Rupsha under Coast Guard West Zone carried out a raid in Khan Jahan Ali Bridge Toll Plaza under Rupsha Police Station at 7:55pm. During the drive, the law enforcers searched a Chattogram-bound truck that was being loaded with shrimps injected with the jelly-like substance. Later, representatives of FIQC Khulna fined Abdur Rahman and Faruk Tk30,000, Sabbir Transport Tk50,000, Jamuna Jafar Fish Tk25,000 and Monowara Jafar Fish Tk25,000 for their involvement in filling the shrimps with the jelly-like substance. The seized shrimps were later destroyed. Also read: 700 kgs of shrimp injected with jelly like substance seized in Chandpur

Bangladesh should go for commercial cultivation of vannamei species of shrimp or king prawn to capture the global market. The king prawn currently accounts for 80% of global market share, where Bangladesh has no presence. Bangladesh is falling behind as commercial cultivation of the species is still far away. It's now mostly in the stage of pilot projects. Also read: Govt determined to end shrimp production & exportation problems: Rezaul This subject was discussed on Sunday by shrimp exporters and cultivators in a seminar at the Khulna’s Shrimp Tower. At the seminar, they demanded that commercial cultivation of vannamei be allowed instead of running pilot projects. Exporters and cultivators are thus unable to get loans, they said. Also read: Shrimp farmers count losses from cyclone in Koyra Speakers at the seminar said that there is no alternative to vannamei as the production of tiger shrimp and prawn are decreasing in the country. To save the waning shrimp industry, government’s intervention is needed along with the permission to cultivate vannamei commercially. Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association has been appealing to the government for the last 20 years to allow the cultivation of vannamei shrimp to keep the shrimp industry alive. As a result, the government allowed the pilot cultivation of this variety of shrimp in September 2019. The project is being piloted at the Paikgachha Saltwater Center in Khulna under the Department of Fisheries and the Fisheries Research Institution. The average production is more than 9 tons per hectare. Read Shrimps inflated with jelly seized in Jashore The association provided statistics that show the average production of tiger shrimp in Bangladesh is 341 kg per hectare. In neighbouring India, the average production of vannamei is 7,102 per kg hectare. This means that the production of vannamei is 6,761 kg more per hectare than that of tiger shrimp. Vice President of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association S. Humayun Kabir said that due to lack of raw material (shrimp), only 28 out of 105 frozen fish processing and exporting companies in the country are operational and remaining have closed. The production is meeting only 10-15 per cent of the capacity of the companies and as a result, the processing cost is also increasing. This industry has come to the brink of collapse. To revive this industry, there is no alternative to increasing production by cultivating vannamei. Fourteen other Asian countries have been exporting vannamei, he said. Read Crocodile rescued at Bagerhat shrimp enclosure freed in the Sundarbans He demanded that permission be given for commercial production of vannamei shrimp and save the industry.

The Bangladesh government is determined to end all problems related to shrimp production and its exportation, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim has said. “These problems at shrimp hatcheries will eventually be resolved as the Bangladesh government is giving utmost importance to the development of the fisheries sector," the Minister said. "For this, the government has selected Cox’s Bazar and a number of big projects, including dried fish procession and sustainable coastal and marine fisheries, are being implemented,” he added. The Minister said these at an interactive meeting with members of the Shrimp Hatchery Association of Bangladesh in Cox’s Bazar on Friday evening. Also read: Viruses come back to haunt Bagerhat shrimp farmers Asserting that the major food supplies come from fish, meat, milk and eggs, the Minister said those involved in the fisheries sector are playing an important role in the country's economy as well. At the same time, he urged all to refrain from indulging in any malpractices in shrimp exportation. "To overcome the economic damages in the fisheries and livestock sector due to the pandemic, the government has taken many steps," the Minister said.  

Members of Coast Guards in a drive seized 700 kgs of shrimps with jelly like substances in their bodies from the estuary of the Padma River in Chandpur on Saturday. Tipped off, a team of coast guard led by Lieutenant Rohan Majur of Chandpur sub-station conducted a drive in a trawler and recovered the shrimps in the afternoon. Read: Cox's Bazaar: Drugs worth Tk 2.7cr seized, 5 held However, no one was arrested in this connection. Later, the Coast Guard members destroyed the shrimps. Some unscrupulous businessmen inject jelly like substances  into shrimps to increase their weight to cheat consumers.