The government has allowed two more entities to cultivate vannamei shrimp on a pilot basis to assess its prospects in Bangladesh.
If satisfactory, it will allow them to go for commercial production, as the variety has a high demand in the international market.
Growtech Aquaculture ltd, a sister concern of Fishtech BD Ltd at Paikgachha upazila, and Fahim Seafood Ltd, a sister concern of Desh Bangla S P F Hatchery at Batiaghata upazila in Khulna, will now go through trial proceedings under the supervision of the Department of Fisheries for a period of one year, official sources said.
The one-year time period will be counted from the date of releasing vannamei fry in ponds.
On the other hand, M.U. Sea Foods Ltd has been allowed for further trial as it completed its first trial successfully last year.
Both the decisions came from the fisheries department last month.
Meanwhile, the sub-committee regarding vannamei farming under the department visited 15 more farms recently to find out eligible ones for trial.
The committee will submit a report on the visit to the Technical Committee on Feasibility Study of Vannamei Shrimp Cultivation and Commercial Production in Bangladesh soon, said Atiar Rahman, additional director general of the Department of Fisheries.
Mr Atiar, also head of the sub-committee, said they would go for necessary trials before allowing commercial production, in a bid to make sure that this variety could not harm the local variety and the environment.
Earlier, in 2019, the fisheries department for the first time permitted two pilot projects on vannamei shrimp farming.
One project was run by M.U. Sea Foods Ltd at the Saline Water Centre of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) in the coastal Paikgachha upazila of Khulna. It launched cultivation on March 31, 2021 and harvested its first crop in July, 2021.
However, the other one - Agribusiness Enterprise Development and Services - is yet to start its project in the Cox's Bazar coastal area.
Frozen fish exporters said Bangladesh's black-tiger species of shrimp had lost competitiveness in key western markets like the United States (US) and the European Union (EU).
Therefore, they sought commercial cultivation of the white-leg prawn as soon as possible to continue their export in the global market.
At the same time, they also requested allowing vannamei Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) hatchery for production of vannamei fry.
Talking to the FE, Md Khalilullah, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters' Association, said they were hopeful that the government would allow commercial production of vannamei shrimp within a short period of time.
"The government is positive about the cultivation of the new variety of shrimp in the country," he said.
According to the frozen fish exporters, vannamei is a leading item on the global shrimp market because of its affordable price.
More than 60 countries are producing vannamei, which meets about 80 per cent of total shrimp demand in the globe, they mentioned.
Bangladesh exports only 2.0 per cent of the international demand for frozen shrimp, as per the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation.
The country earned from shrimp export US$361 million in fiscal year (FY) 2018-19, $332 million in FY 2019-20, and $320 million in FY 2020-21, show the data available with the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
The country once boasted 110 frozen-fish factories occupying the second position among the total export-oriented sectors even a decade ago.
But the number has come down to as low as 30 to 40 at present.
