Shrimp farmers in Bangladesh barely get any financial support, especially from formal institutions, as they lack the required collateral, according to a study by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
CGIAR is a global research partnership that works for a food-secure future, dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems amid the climate crisis.
The small enclosures used for rearing shrimp, locally known as ghers, limit the productivity of such farms. So, there is a pressing need to develop the required infrastructure, especially in regard to deepening the ponds and other structures for improved water management, the study said.
A decade ago, there was much to cheer about regarding the performance of shrimp exports. But in recent years, the once promising industry seems to have reached an impasse, it added.
CGIAR had conducted the study to document the issues faced by the shrimp industry in Bangladesh.
The preliminary results were presented at an "Expert Consultation Workshop", conducted on January 22 at the Centre for Integrated Rural Development in Asia and the Pacific in Dhaka.
The International Food Policy Research Institute, WorldFish, the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture jointly organised the event, styled "Rethinking Food Markets and Value Chains for Inclusion and Sustainability".
The study noted that despite some improvements in yields and the adoption of modern technical practices, including farm and feed management, significant structural problems continue to plague the industry.
There was a consensus that shrimp, unlike other species, needs technical knowledge to produce.
In the absence of such knowledge, shrimp farming becomes a high-risk venture for small farmers, said Mohammad Mahfujul Haque, a professor of aquaculture at Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh.
There is also an associated challenge of ensuring that farmed shrimp is free from disease. Bangladesh now has at least three hatcheries that produce specific pathogen-free post-larvae, which reduces these risks.
However, the present extensive shrimp farming systems limit the ability of farmers to maintain biosecurity. Recent data suggests that most ponds that grow shrimp in fact also grow substantial quantities of fish.
After garments products, there is no other product from Bangladesh that has a separate demand in the export market. From that point of view, shrimp exports have very high potential in this regard.
"But the big question is why couldn't Bangladesh develop it so far? Our neighbouring countries have made great strides in shrimp exports," Haque added.
Saroj Kumar Mistry, deputy director of the Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries project under the Department of Fisheries in Khulna, said most farmers in Bangladesh still cultivate shrimp in traditional ways.
But to deal with the risk of climate change, the use of technology in farming has to be increased. Otherwise, it is not possible to deal with the crises that are being created due to climate change.
So, the government has already taken several initiatives to this end, he said.
Mistry then said Bangladesh's best opportunities remain in locally grown black tiger shrimp and the focus should be on market development and international branding.
Also, there is a need for a holistic policy for shrimp and a dedicated agency committed to developing the industry, he added.
Different stakeholders think the policies supporting the industry are more exporter-centric, but it is time to build a farmer-focused policy that enables them to overcome the many constraints they face.
The sector ensures the livelihood of more than 8 lakh farmers, who collectively cultivate shrimp on 2.63 lakh hectares of land in coastal areas of the country's southwest region, according to the Department of Fisheries.
This article was originally published on January 24, 2023 by The Daily Star.
Photo Credit: Star/file