The government has taken a decision to start farming vannamei variety of shrimp on a pilot basis and selected 10-20 acres of land in Cox's Bazar and Khulna districts in this regard.
Initially two entrepreneurs will get permission to launch the farming, before going for commercial production, officials said.
They said the Department of Fisheries (DoF) was formulating the guidelines in this regard while a sub-committee will be formed for feasibility study in Cox's Bazar and Khulna areas.
The DoF will make Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to operate the hatcheries.
A technical committee on feasibility study and farming of vannamei shrimp at a recent meeting also suggested producing shrimp fry from imported Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) vannamei on a pilot basis side by side the production of vannamei.
The meeting was also told that the entrepreneurs will bear all costs related to production of vannamei and its fry.
Appreciating the latest move, the entrepreneurs argued that the government should provide proper technical supports, including leasing out the land free of cost, to encourage the pilot project.
Currently, the variety is a leading item in the world shrimp market. Because of its cheaper price, consumers prefer this item in Europe and USA, the key markets of frozen shrimp.
As a result, Bangladeshi black tiger species lost its competiveness in these markets.
Exporters said they incurred huge losses in the last five to seven years.
More than 75 per cent of the total world shrimp production is vannamei. Some 32 countries are culturing such category of shrimp.
Wishing anonymity, a senior official at the DoF said they are not against vannamei culture. Rather it should be launched as many countries are now producing the shrimp.
But it is needed to build necessary infrastructures and bio-security system, he said. "So it will take time to launch the project. We don't want to launch it without proper preparation."
He also said the DoF will provide necessary training to the entrepreneurs and an experts' committee will oversee the project. "So, there is no reason the farming will fail."
Bangladesh exports only 2.0 per cent of the international demand for frozen shrimp, according to the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF).
The country once boasted 110 frozen fish factories holding the second position among the total export-oriented sectors even a decade ago. But the number has come down to as low as 50 now.
Unavailability of exportable fish, especially shrimp, in the local market is the key reason behind this worst situation in the industry, insiders have said.
According to the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), some 96,265 tonnes of shrimp and fish were exported in fiscal year (FY) 2011-12. The export volume fell by 68,161 tonnes in FY 2016-17.
About 3.5 million people are involved in this sector.
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