Pioneering sustainable aquaculture with advanced farming techniques

Staff Correspondent:

Seamark Group announced recently that it has commenced production of high-yielding Vannamei shrimp, marking the first such initiative in Bangladesh. This project, led by Seamark Group Chairman Iqbal Ahmed, began construction in January 2023 and is located in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. Intensive production started in April this year.

At a press conference, Chairman Iqbal Ahmed emphasized the environmentally friendly nature of their Vannamei shrimp production process. Engineers and technicians from Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) played a crucial role in setting up the farm.

Experts in the shrimp sector note that traditional farming methods yield about 400 to 500 kg of Bagda prawns per hectare. Intensive farming methods can increase this yield to 1.5 to 2 tons per hectare. Vannamei shrimp farming, however, can produce more than double the yield of intensive methods due to its high reproduction rate.

The farm also features a laboratory equipped for physicochemical and microbiological testing of water. No banned chemicals or antibiotics are used, and all wastewater undergoes treatment before being released into the environment.

Iqbal Ahmed highlighted that they have 100% traceability of the shrimp produced. In addition to the Ukhia farm, another Vannamei shrimp production project is under construction in Teknaf, expected to begin production next year.

Vannamei shrimp, a high-yielding species from the eastern Pacific Ocean, is now widely cultivated worldwide due to its high yield and disease resistance. Currently, 80 percent of shrimp produced globally are of the Vannamei variety. Bangladesh began experimental cultivation of Vannamei shrimp in 2019, and after four years of trials, the government has approved its commercial production.