On March 29th, 2023, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock sent a letter to the Director General of Fisheries, stating the permission of commercial farming for Vannamei shrimps in Bangladesh. Along with this, the ‘Guidelines for Commercial Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh’ have also been approved for vannamei shrimp farming.
Demand for the commercial cultivation of Vannamei shrimp in Bangladesh has been persistent, particularly from farmers who have conducted successful experimental cultivation of the shrimp and Khulna shrimp exporters. They have expressed their gratitude to the government for fulfilling their long-standing wish.
According to S. Humayun Kabir, the Vice President of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association, vannamei shrimp is already being farmed commercially in regions such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. Therefore, the expansion of its cultivation in Bangladesh will be a success for farmers and added value for the industry.
Deputy Director of Khulna Department of Fisheries, Tofaz Uddin Ahmed, noted that the Bangladesh Fishery Institute has conducted research on vannamei shrimp and has concluded that it can be produced commercially. Twelve establishments in the Khulna region were granted permission for experimental cultivation of vannamei shrimp, with six in Khulna, one in Satkhira, and one in Jessore. After the infrastructural reform of the other four institutes, they were given instructions on vannamei cultivation.
It is noteworthy that vannamei shrimp was first introduced in the United States in 1970, and its commercial cultivation began in the 1980s. Currently, it is being farmed commercially in 62 countries worldwide, with 15 Asian countries among them. This shrimp accounts for 74 percent of the world’s shrimp trade, owing to its relatively low price and high demand in the global market when compared to Black tiger or Bagda shrimp. Until now, Bangladesh was the only Asian country that prohibited the commercial cultivation of vannamei shrimp.
