The global shrimp market is now being dominated by the White leg shrimp species (Litopenaeus vannamei) often known as Vannamei shrimp (Research and Markets, 2019). Over the past decade, this species has gained considerable recognition and has had an influential effect on the worldwide shrimp industry. This may be attributed to its exceptional yield potential, shorter cultivation cycle, cheap production, greater resistance to adverse conditions, and growing demand in foreign markets (FAO, 2020; Felix et al., 2021). Several Asian countries, as well as certain Latin American countries, have introduced Vannamei shrimp commercially (FAO, 2017). Litopenaeus vannamei currently contributes to over 80% of worldwide shrimp production (Fig. 3). Additionally, the demand for L. vannamei is steadily rising due to its comparatively cheaper price compared to other shrimp types (FAO, 2020). In the global market, it has been frequently documented that the price of Vannamei shrimp is consistently $2.0 to $2.5 lower per pound in comparison to the price of Black tiger shrimp (Zaman, 2022). Moreover, it has been documented that the production rate of Vannamei shrimp can reach around 8000–9000 kg per hectare in a span of only 115 days. While, the average production rate of P. monodon is roughly 800–1000 kg per hectare, with a longer duration of around 160 days (Washim et al., 2018).
‘Farming of Bagda (P. monodon) shrimp has become risky’, said Mr. Lutfur Rahman, Owner of Niribili hatchery. The production cost of P. monodon is considerably expensive, yet shrimp exporters have to ship them at a lower price to maintain market balance and retain buyers, thus incurring losses.
‘As locally grown black tiger shrimp or Bagda are unable to compete with cheaper varieties in Western markets, the government should have allowed the production of Vannamei eight to nine years ago. We are now far behind the neighboring countries’- another hatchery owner said. Shrimp exporters in Bangladesh have constantly been urged for the approval of Vannamei farming by the government of Bangladesh. The expansion of shrimp farming in the neighboring country of India has shown remarkable growth later to the introduction of Vannamei. India has established an influential position as a pioneer in the international shrimp market in recent years (Nisar et al., 2021). In spite of Bangladesh possessing a greater shrimp field covering 216,000 hectares in comparison to India's 160,000 hectares, the shrimp production of Bangladesh, amounting to 70,979 tons, falls significantly short of India's production, which stands at 682,300 tons (FAO, 2020; Felix et al., 2021).
After a considerable period of anticipation, the government of Bangladesh finally approved two pilot projects on 1st September 2019 (Dao, 2020). The piloting phase was executed over a duration of one year, and if deemed satisfactory, it was intended to be authorized for commercial implementation. However, one by the Agribusiness Enterprises Development Services did not start operation. But Shushilan- a non-government organization – started trial at the Saline Water Center of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute in Paikgacha, Khulna and achieved an impressive success A total of 13,886 kg of Vannamei were harvested from about 1.56 hectares of land with an average production of 8901 kg per hectare in just 110 days. Following the success, the Department of Fisheries (DoF) has permitted 11 more firms to conduct piloting (M.U.SeafoodsLtd, 2022; The Financial Express, 2023).
As far now, with the exception of Bangladesh, all other Asian countries engaged in shrimp farming have effectively established the commercial production of L. vannamei (Shams, 2022). The Vannamei shrimp presently captures around 80% of the market share, while the remaining 20% is distributed between the Bagda and Golda shrimp varieties (Figure. 3) (FAO, 2020). As the production of this species is null, Bangladesh just can’t compete globally by exporting only Bagda and Golda shrimp. Additionally, there is a robust local demand for shrimp, which is further expected to escalate due to the rising per capita income. There is no necessity for Bangladesh to have uncertainty concerning the introduction of L. Vannamei, as this shrimp species has shown successful growth in other nations that share a similar ecology. Furthermore, Bangladeshi farmers have effectively incorporated various non-native species into their farming practices. Thus they are expected to be more proactive and responsive to new technologies and varieties as long as they are profitable (Jamal, 2023).