Tuesday, November 3, 2009 2:32 AMA large area of mangrove forests in Lampung, which acts as a buffer for coastal...

October 13, 2009The Union government will allow cultivation of Penaeus vannamei (white prawn) in India from the ensuing stocking season...

17 October, 2009Shrimp size on a population at pond is very affected on to technically shrimp culture management process especially...

Monday, October 19, 2009A total of 45,133.5 tonnes of shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) were landed between 1 January and 15 October...

8/22/2009Empagran has a long history in the aquaculture business, producing an exporting shrimp since 1975; the company has positioned itself amongst the biggest shrimp exporters in the country, supplying the world's main markets. Empagran covers all the shrimp’s production process, from the females’ fertilization and obtaining of the larvae to the final product packing, covering in this way the various stages of the production process.Samacua Hatchery has three main functions: nauplii production that can reach up to 50 millions, Larvae (or seed) production, up to 100 millions per month and a research and development laboratory. Aba Feed was bought by Empagram in 1988 in order to provide for all the production cycle of the shrimp, producing 58,000 tons of feed per year.Shrimp Farms Extensive Cultive counts with more than 3,000 hectares of extensive farming with an average production of 2,000 pounds per hectare producing more than 18 million pounds a year. Empagran Packing plant includes several lines of processing and a frostbite capacity of up to 90,000 pounds are processed every day. Its own brands Frescamar, Platynum, Seatouch and Imperial, have been placed in the internacional market.This production line allows Empagram to have a maximum control of each one of the process, therefore achieving high international standards and obtaining export products of premium quality with different levels of added value.

Monday, August 31, 2009Prawnto, which is engaged in the sale of ready-to-eat prawns, has slated an expansion to all major metros in the country from the current 3 kiosks in Bangalore to 150 kiosks nationwide. It is investing Rs 12 crore which is raised through internal accruals. The company certified by Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Central Institute of Brackish Aquaculture (CIBA) has also received an in-principle approval from National Fisheries Development Board to set-up kiosks.The company is keen to increase its presence through the franchisee format. The investment required for each kiosk is Rs 8 lakh which spans over an area of 72 sq.ft. It is looking at potential locations like malls, urban transport infrastructure stations, food courts and airport terminals. A survey was conducted to ascertain demand for prawn kiosk and was found that there was a need for quality and affordable offering in this space.According to NFDB, it is estimated that India will consume one lakh tonnes of shrimp by 2012. Most of the shrimp consumed in India is not cultivated but caught from the sea. In fact much of the fresh catch is highly unregulated and undependable and witnesses considerable export rejects. But in the case of Prawnto it has a large approved prawn farm in Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh set-up by its founder V Balasubramanium.Since we have access to source quality tiger prawns which has a growing demand because of its nutritious protein content, our business format of kiosks are looked at as profitable ventures, Kenny Ramanand Consulting Partner, Prawnto told F B News.The company has a master plan which can be tailor-made. Stringent quality control from farm-to-fork can assure success of the venture. In fact the franchisee partner can mitigate investment risks at a faster pace, he added.Over the next 18 months, Bangalore will have 20 outlets Chennai: 30, Mumbai: 45 Hyderabad: 25, Northern Capital Region: 15, Indore and Central India: 15. Plans are afoot for a global foray to Australia, Europe, South East Asia and Middle East.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009Shrimp firm executives harshly criticized Ministerial Accord 107, which regularises domestic shrimp laboratories, insisting it will undermine the entire industry and only benefit particular interests. The official text establishes a five-year moratorium for the authorization of new shrimp nauplius and larvae laboratories, that is, no new facilities can be authorized, expanded, constructed or operated. “No new areas of maturation and larvae production can be built nor existing ones be expanded and increase production during the moratorium. The rule limits those in existence as of the expedition of the present document,” the ministerial agreement indicates. Cesar Monge, president of the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) accused at Rafael Verduga Regalado, TEXCUMAR manager. He names him as the proponent of the measure, for owning a shrimp breeding and genetic improvement centre and for taking advantage of his position as Ministry of Agriculture advisor to introduce the transitory provision. “He plots against the development of small, mid-sized and even large laboratories, inhibits the opportunity to compete, [and] goes against what the government wants, to produce a law of competencies that averts oligopolies and monopolies,” Monge indicated. “Mister [Verduga Regalado], taking advantage of his position as Minister advisor, is an entrepreneurial shrimp fisher, has produced and generated the signing of a ministerial agreement that is going to monopolise because the management of a sector market is an oligopoly, as is shrimp fishing, which is fundamental to development,” he added. Verduga Regalado defended himself: “I do not make agreements, I do not write them. If they ask for my opinion, I give it.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Luong Le Phuong, who chaired the meeting, called the act of adding substances to raise the shrimp’s weight “a fraud” that adversely affects shrimp exporters and the perception of the quality of Vietnamese shrimp among international consumers.The fraud has been committed mostly by farmers and small dealers in the Mekong Delta provinces of Bac Lieu and Ca Mau, and partly in Kien Giang, he said. Seafood exporters in Ca Mau Province, where the meeting took place, said they had started to work at their full capacity after several months of raw material shortage, with local farmers breeding shrimp on more than 264,000 hectares of ponds.“Amidst these good signs is the worry that more farmers are adding weight-gaining substances to the shrimp in different ways,” said Nguyen Xuan Hong, vice chairman of Ca Mau People’s Committee. “It’s illegal and seriously damages the country’s interests.” Many shipments of frozen shrimp from Vietnam have been sent back by importers recently as they fail food safety and hygiene tests, Lam Hong Khach, head of the seafood quality management department of Bac Lieu Province, told the meeting. Bac Lieu authorities have found it hard to fight the practice as it is indulged in by small dealers along the border with Hau Giang, Soc Trang and Ca Mau provinces. Khach recommended setting up a Mekong Delta steering committee to fight the addition of weight-gaining substances in shrimp farming. Authorities of Ca Mau Province have since early this year discovered 67 cases of safety and hygiene violations, seizing more than 14,000 kilograms of shrimp, mostly from buyers and small processors.

Shrimp producers from Sonora state have sown a surface greater than last year's, but at a lower density, stated the president of the Sonora State Aquaculture Health Committee (COSAES), Luis Humberto Olea Ruiz. Some 22,000 hectares of shrimp have been sown so far this year, the largest area up to this point, but a smaller harvest is expected than in 2008, when the surface area was 500 ha smaller.Producers principal aim is to maintain the sanitary status of the shrimping activity. Last year we sowed 21,500 hectares; more than 81,000 tonnes were produced. This year, we decided to reduce the sowing density of postlarvae as a preventive measure,” Olea Ruiz stated in El Imparcial. Not only was this measure taken, but an exhaustive revision of buyers' transport and processing plants was also carried out, given the possibility of the white spot syndrome entering from another neighbour-state. The presence of the [white spot syndrome] virus was detected in Sinaloa, for which it was agreed to enforce a sanitary certificate upon introducers that have to accomodate themselves to sanitisation and cleanliness [standards], if not, they won't [be allowed] entry,” he added.

Bangkok Post Business 8/05/2009Thai Union Frozen Products Plc (TUF) yesterday teamed up with 185 shrimp farmers across the country in a contract farming arrangement on an unprecedented scale of 10,000 tonnes, worth about 1.2 billion baht. Under the deal, Thailand's major producer and exporter of canned and frozen seafood will buy from farmers at specified prices based on production costs plus a level of profit agreed between the farmers and the company.The contract should help farmers plan what size of shrimp to produce and should cut their market risks from price fluctuations - especially between May and December, when shrimp is normally in abundant supply - said Rittirong Boonmechote, managing director of TUF's shrimp business unit. We believe contract farming will help reduce risks for all parties involved, especially for farmers, who will not have to worry about how to sell their shrimp during periods of surplus, he said. With a target of how much shrimp to produce, of what size, and at what price they can be sold, the farmers will be better equipped to plan their production effectively. TUF stands to benefit from better cost management and steady supplies of raw materials, said Mr Rittirong. Quality control, freshness and food safety are also managed more effectively with contract farming, helping processors like TUF to meet their customers' expectations.For international buyers, the scheme should ensure punctual delivery of finished products along with better quality and traceability, giving consumers more confidence in safety. Traceability and food safety - two issues that our foreign customers are intensely interested in - would be enhanced under the contract farming programme, said Mr Rittirong.

The Daily Star, Monday, May 11, 2009Farmers in Mongla upazila have vowed to resist shrimp cultivation by using saline water in croplands. Hundreds of men and women of Kainmari, Chakrakhali, Kalibari, Dasherkhando and Kanainagar villages of Chandpai union continued movement for the second day yesterday and prevented shrimp enclosure owners from releasing saline water into the paddy fields through sluice gates.Also on Saturday, hundreds of farmers of these villages foiled an attempt to release saline water into their fields with help of hired goons. Meanwhile, security has have been stepped up at several villages of Chandpai union under Mongla upazila in Bagerhat district fearing bloody clashes any moment between farmers and owners of shrimp enclosures.According to Vice Chairman of Mongla Upazila Parishad Mohammad Noor Alam, the owners of shrimp enclosures have hired goons to release saline water into the fields in the aforesaid villages defying the call by local lawmaker Begum Habibun Nahar to refrain from using force.The hired goons on Saturday noon cut the dam of Kainmari Canal to forcibly release saline water into a field. The farmers have vowed to resist the hired goons. So the situation in these villages have become highly tense, said OC Feroze Ahmed at Mongla Police Station.

FIS.com Wednesday, April 08, 2009Good climatic conditions and the high volumes already sown in domestic fish farms will pave the way for a solid 2009 season despite a registered fall in the price of certain shrimp sizes caused by the global financial crisis. harvest of 80 million pounds of shrimp worth some USD 150 million is expected between late April and October-November. We are set to initiate the harvest. We think this year will be interesting, with many challenges and opportunities. The climatological conditions are excellent and the product will be able to be sold at the best prices possible, said Jacobo Paz, a representative of the National Association of Honduran Aquaculturists (ANDAH). Paz expects the volume of export will not fall, but observed a decline in the price of the largest shrimp sizes, which are also the most expensive. However, he trusts they will begin to see some price increases beginning in July, La Tribuna reports.On average USD 150 million is generated from exports in terms of profit, and expectations dictate this figure will increase with more value-added products, which command much higher and more stable prices on the international market, the ANDAH representative commented.Also, new markets like Germany and England have opened to an expanding import of Honduran shrimp, he revealed. Costa Rica, Mexico and several South American countries have also become markets for Honduran shrimp.

The Daily Star Tuesday, April 14, 2009Farmers in Paikgachcha and Dakop upazilas in Khulna are facing different kinds of harassment, including filing of false cases against them, from shrimp farmers in the area because of their anti-saline water campaign. The farmers allege that shrimp enclosure (gher) owners also hired goons to release saline water into their fields through sluice gates surrounding polders 20, 32 and 33 at night, causing huge damage to their Boro crop.They also said that many gher owners have gradually grabbed the leased out land over the years. On March 9, 2009 at around 11:00pm,at least 25 to 30 hired goons of gher owners Mantu Sheikh, Shawakat Mollah, Jalal Sheikh, Majedul Biswas, Selim Sheikh, Kalyan Mistri, Bikash Mallik and Birupakkah released saline water through sluice gate no 9 at Madhukhali in Deluti union under Paikgachha upazila, Madhukhali villager Provash Roy, 50, told The Daily Star. On hearing this, around 300 villagers from Deluti and Lata unions under the upazila rushed to the spot and chased them away, Roy said. ollowing this incident, one of the gher owners, Mantu Sheikh filed separate false cases against seven people with the local police station alleging different offensive activities.Taibur Rahaman, one of the 22 victims of false cases filed by another gher owner Rais Uddin, said that Rais filed cases against them for protesting the intrusion of saline water in Saharabad, Kalinagar, Kamarkhola, under Dakop upazila. Taibur himself was not even present during the demonstrations on March 11.

Only the registered ones can export their produceVIJAYAWADA: Sea food exporters will not purchase aquaculture produce from farmers who have not registered themselves with the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA), from Wednesday onwards.The Export Inspection Council of India under the Union Ministry of Commerce has made it mandatory for all farmed shrimp or scampi to be screened for residues of banned antibiotics.These stringent steps have been proposed subsequent to rejection of Indian aquaculture produce by the European Union and other developed countries. According to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), 36 containers of sea food, each worth Rs. 60 lakh, were rejected by the importing countries in the last financial year and this year 13 containers were rejected in the first quarter itself. Andhra Pradesh is in the first place in the country because 50 per cent of the Rs. 3,000-crore sea food exported during 2006-07 was from the State. But now there are fears that the State, which stands first in shrimp exports in the country, will be displaced from the coveted spot. Exporters were pushed to take these difficult decisions following stringent stipulations introduced by the European Union. Exporters who earlier announced November 1, 2008 as the deadline for registration extended it to April 1, 2009, because of little response from aqua farmers.Commissioner of Fisheries Arvind Kumar told The Hindu that a special drive was taken up for registration of the aqua farms. Out of the 27,078 aqua farms in the State, only 10,727 were found eligible for CAA registration. Nearly 7,000 aqua farms in the State have become defunct and 3,000 were not eligible for CAA registration because they were encroachments on government lands. While over 1,000 aqua farmers shifted from coastal aquaculture (marine and brackish water) to freshwater culture, another 6,000 aqua farmers shifted to agriculture and other activities, Mr. Arvind Kumar said.

suwanneedemocrat.com; March 31, 2009Suwannee High Ag Department is raising shrimpThe Suwannee High Ag Department is raising fresh water shrimp (prawns) as an aquaculture project. This project will be a valuable learning experience as well as a fund-raiser and/or source of food for the upcoming FFA event. he juvenile shrimp were shipped overnight from a hatchery in Texas and arrived at the SHS Land Lab Monday morning, March 23.The shrimp were in bags inside of Styrofoam box coolers. After being acclimated to the water in the pond, the shrimp were then released. The shrimp will grow for a period of 3-4 months and will be harvested once they reach desired size. on Boyette, volunteer of the Land Lab, has been very instrumental in the project. He has worked long and hard to get this project up and running.The shrimp will require optimum conditions and water quality to survive and grow properly. The water’s temperature, ph, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient level will have to be tested and monitored on a regular basis. his project is sure to be an enjoyable learning experience for Agriculture students of Suwannee High.Source: suwanneedemocrat.com

express buzz, 23 Mar 2009Fish feed wastage and its impact on water-bodies are a major source of worry for the fisheries industry. The accumulation of waste leads to toxicity in farmed species. High quality protein is essential for shrimps to grow fast. They require 45 percent quality protein in the supplementary feed. This makes shrimp feed costly and accounts for more than 55 percent of the operational cost.Researchers at the School of Industrial Fisheries, Cusat, led by director Madhusoodana Kurup have developed a biofloc technology (BFT) that could revolutionise the aquaculture industry. With BFT, the waste which accumulates in the pond bed is converted into biofloc as a natural food. With this the carbon-nitrogen ratio is maintained at optimal levels, and inorganic nitrogen is immobilised into bacterial cells which serve as feed for shrimp.“We screened five types of locally available carbohydrates as carbon sources for C:N ratio maintenance and among them tapioca was found the most efficient in shrimp farms,’’ said Kurup. The biofloc technology developed by the team for shrimp farming is useful in reducing the protein content of conventional shrimp feed from 40 percent to 25 percent without compromising on growth and production. He said that the biggest advantage of BFT is that farmers are benefited economically since 25 percent of diet with carbohydrate addition to the water column results in a 54 percent higher revenue per hectare.

New York Times (Asia Pacific) - March 19, 2009The rivers that course down from the Himalayas and into this crowded delta bring an annual tide of gift and curse. They flood low-lying paddies for several months, sometimes years, at a time. And they ferry mountains of silt and sand from far away upstream. Most of that sediment washes out into the roiling Bay of Bengal. But an accidental discovery by desperate delta folk here may hold clues to how Bangladesh, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, could harness some of that dark, rich Himalayan muck to protect itself against sea level rise.Instead of allowing the silt to settle where it wants, Bangladesh has begun to channel it to where it is needed — to fill in shallow soup bowls of land prone to flooding, or to create new land off its long, exposed coast. The efforts have been limited to small experimental patches, not uniformly promising, and there is still ample concern that a swelling sea could one day soon swallow parts of Bangladesh. But the emerging evidence suggests that a nation that many see as indefensible to the ravages of human-induced climate change could literally raise itself up and save its people — and do so cheaply and simply, using what the mountains and tides bring.“You can do a lot with the silt that these rivers bring,” said Bea M. ten Tusscher, the Dutch ambassador to Bangladesh. The Netherlands, itself accustomed to engineering its vulnerable low-lands, helps Bangladesh with water management projects. “Those are like little diamonds,” Ms. ten Tusscher said. “You have to use it.”

National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA) President Cesar Monge and Foreign Commerce Vice Minister Eduardo Egas met in Guayaquil on Friday to discuss the problems currently affecting the farmed shrimp sector and to identify new markets for the leading Ecuadorian product. The fall in shrimp exports to the US and Europe plus the drop in shrimp prices on the international market are causes of great concern for sector executives.According to official data, Ecuadorian shrimp sales fell 20 per cent in December 2008 and January 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis. On the issue, the vice minister explained that the reduction of traditional markets in Ecuador makes the search for new clients imperative. The commercial opportunities and new market niches are in Russia, Mexico and in the Middle East. To achieve a relatively quick opening, work must be jointly carried out,” Egas said.Meanwhile, the most important markets for the Ecuadorian shrimp farming sector continue to be the US and Europe, Monge highlighted, which together acquire more than 90 per cent of the total marketed. Talks need to be resumed with the US and maximised with Europe to maintain exports,” Monge sustained.“We know markets need to be diversified but that takes time and demands resources. The public sector should also collaborate with commercial policies,” he added. Around 98 per cent of farmed shrimp production is exported. Therefore, it is vital that new strategic partners be sought after while being careful not to neglect those Ecuador is already doing business with, the executive explained.

The Nation Technology, February 23,2009DuPont Animal Health Solutions (DAHS) announced a new product line that will bring shrimp-pathogen detection straight to the farm. The DuPontTM Virkon Aquatic Biosecurity Monitoring System provides an integrated, easy-to-use solution for pond-site shrimp pathogen diagnostic testing that detects viruses impacting shrimp health and farm productivity. Early stage detection with high sensitivity combined with an easy-to-use format in the hand of the farmer allows for rapid feedback and for pond-site decision making. DuPontTM Virkon Aquatic Biosecurity Monitoring System presents shrimp farmers with a faster and improved solution for early White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) detection in their ponds, said Paolo Barbieri, global business director, Clean Disinfect. With this offering in place, DuPont can help shrimp farmers monitor and improve biosecurity measures, making it a valuable addition in the Virkon Aquatic product line. The DuPontTM Virkon Aquatic Biosecurity Monitoring System provides farmers and producers a next generation diagnostic tool for on-site disease diagnostic, biosecurity monitoring and productivity improvements. The Virkon Aquatic White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) test kit is part of the DuPontTM Virkon Aquatic Biosecurity Monitoring System product line designed for pathogens important to the shrimp aquaculture industry.

JakartaGlobe Business, February 26, 2009Investors are still awaiting answers from the capital market regulator about its suspension back in December of a rights issue by the world’s biggest shrimp producer, PT Central Proteinaprima Tbk, or CP Prima. “Many market players and analysts are speculating about the real reasons,” said Pardomuan Sihombing, head researcher at Paramitra Alfa Securities.CP Prima launched a rights issue worth Rp 1.7 trillion ($143 million) on Dec. 15, but the Capital Market and Financial Institutions Supervisory Agency, or Bapepam-LK, suspended trading in the rights on Dec. 19, the last day of the five-day offering period. At the time, Bapepam, which announced the move through the Indonesian Stock Exchange, said the company needed to provide “more information” about the issue, without specifying what that information was.Since the suspension, Bapepam has failed to issue an official statement explaining why it was imposed. Until the suspension is lifted, none of the rights can be exercised. “We suspended trading in CP Prima rights on Dec. 19 at the direction of Bapepam. We still don’t know why. Bapepam is handling the case and we are waiting for Bapepam to give its reasons,” a stock exchange spokesperson told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.