Experimental farming of Venami variety of shrimp has started for the first time in Bangladesh. In September 2019, the government allowed private companies Sushilan and MUC Foods to experimentally cultivate Venami in response to demands from traders and exporters for being profitable. On Thursday (April 1), experimental farming of Venami shrimp, known as White Gold, started at Paikgachha in Khulna.
It is learned that 1 million Venami shrimps have been imported from Thailand and taken to Paikgachha upazila of Khulna. From there it has been taken to the laboratory of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute and Bagerhat Shrimp Research Center for testing. After the test, the saltwater of the pike tree will be released into the pond of the research center. Pabitra Kumar, senior fisheries officer of Paikgachha upazila, said, “The government has given permission to a private company to cultivate Venami on an experimental basis. We are helping them in this work. Paikgacha saltwater is being cultivated at the research center so that there is no harm to the environment. Benami shrimp will be cultivated experimentally first in one pond and then in four ponds. 'In this context, the chief executive of Sushilan Mostafa Nuruzzaman said, 'We have prepared six ponds for the experimental cultivation of Venami. However, due to heavy rainfall last season, the water in the pond did not have the required salinity. That is why we are lagging behind in the process of importing pona. Anyway, this time Venami shrimp fry has been brought from Thailand. We have started the process of cultivation. '
He said, 'There is no alternative to wemani farming to increase the export income of shrimp. I don't think it will have any effect on the environment. '
According to the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association, shrimp is cultivated in about three and a quarter lakh hectares of land in the country. However, along with exports, shrimp production has also declined day by day. For example, in the last 2013-14 financial year, 34 thousand 733 metric tons of bagda and 6 thousand 503 metric tons of lobster were produced. In the last 2018-19 financial year, the production of bagged shrimp has come down to 24, 398 metric tons. And lobster production has decreased to 5, 146 metric tons.
On the other hand, frozen shrimp exports were valued at ৫ 550 million in the 2013-14 financial year, which dropped to ৫ 510 million in the next fiscal year. Shrimp exports have been steadily declining for the next four fiscal years. In the last fiscal year 2018-19, the export of frozen shrimp was only ৩ 330 million.
Kazi Belayet Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA), said: Many countries are earning thousands of crores of rupees by cultivating it. If Venami farming is successful in this region, shrimp will play a significant role in the development of the country's economy. '
It is known that Venami shrimp was first introduced in the United States in 1970. Commercial cultivation of this species started in the 1980s. Since then, extensive cultivation has started in many Asian countries like China, Thailand, Indonesia and India.
Simarak, the top food processing company in the United Kingdom, has invested in Bangladesh to improve the fisheries sector. They set up a seafood processing plant in Chittagong in November 2000 and were inaugurated by British Princess Ann Seti.
At one time, Semark became the leading company in the production and export of seafood in Bangladesh. They also won various awards for their success in exporting Black Tiger and Freshwater Shrimp.
With the arrival of a new species of white shrimp called Venami, the demand for Black Tiger has been declining for the last 10 years.
In 2012, the total income of Bangladesh by exporting Black Tiger and freshwater shrimp was 590 million US dollars. On the other hand, the total income in 2019 is 365 million US dollars. During this period, 85% of the shrimp factories have been shut down due to high debt or production has stopped.
Meanwhile, neighboring countries India, Vietnam, Indonesia and China have been cultivating Venami for the last 15 years. They are exporting these shrimps to the United States, Europe, Russia, Africa, Japan, Australia and several countries in the Middle East. The annual market value of Venami shrimp is বিল 60 billion worldwide.
Despite much discussion, it was too late to start the cultivation of Venami in Bangladesh due to bureaucratic complications and lack of proper leadership.
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন