Shrimp is one of the highest exported agricultural products in Bangladesh. It covers almost 70% of the total agricultural exports. It is the reason that shrimp is also called ‘White Gold. ‘Shrimp export from Bangladesh throughout the world. There are about 56 species of shrimp available in Bangladesh. Most shrimp farming is done mainly in the south-eastern part of the country. That’s why nearly 95% of incubators are located in Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat. By 2020, Bangladesh has made $348 profit from exporting shrimp.
The overall scenario of the industry
During 2018-2019, Bangladesh adds 13.35% of the country’s GGDP By exporting shrimp. Shrimp export from Bangladesh is one of the most significant contributions to the total economy. Farmers have to go for several steps for farming shrimp. After production, usually, farmers sell the shrimp to the wholesaler. The wholesaler collects shrimps and sells them directly or exports them after necessary processing. According to the Ministry reports, it is tough to calculate the correct amount of total yearly shrimp production. In 2019-20, Bangladesh exported about 30,000 metric tons of shrimp.
Why Bangladesh is lagging in shrimp exports
• Traditional method
Still, farmers depend on the wild shrimps from seas, rivers, and canals to procure larvae. Often, these naturally collected larvae carry various viruses, which affect shrimp’s health and overall growth. At present, three hatcheries in Bangladesh produce Specific Pathogen Free larvae.
• Lack of technology
Although many shrimp is cultivated in Bangladesh, it is still far from modern technology. In Bangladesh, hatcheries are used in the old ‘gher’ method, whereas other developed countries follow the current intensive and semi-intensive method. However, the cost of modern intensive and semi-intensive methods is higher than the traditional ‘gher’ method. Thus many Bangladeshi farmers have not adopted this modern technology.
• Indiquet logistic support
Hatcheries of Bangladesh are primarily located in Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat. On the other hand, the hatcheries that produced post larvae are mainly situated in Cox’s Bazar. Carrying these post larvae is only by a road or air transport. Definitely, most Bangladesh farmers cannot afford air transport, so they have to choose road transportation. Unfortunately, about 30 percent of larvae die during this long road trip. The rest of the larvae become very weak, reducing production remarkably.
To increase shrimp export from Bangladesh needs to develop the quality of the shrimp. Also need to collect healthy and disease-free larvae to increase the production. In addition, the concerned authority should ensure a flexible logistic support system so that farmer can minimize their cost. Shrimp export is one of the most promising industries in Bangladesh. So we should not ignore it in any way.