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Thai freshwater prawn and brine shrimp farming. Report on a study of economics, marketing and processing requirements

Year of publication 1980

Pages p.129

Author Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agricultureand Cooperatives, Thailand;Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Division

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergil) farming is a rapidly expanding industry in Thailand. The production of both post-larvae and marketable prawn increased about 80 percent between 1979 and 1980. Currently the industry consists of 59 hatcheries and at least 455 farms utilizing approximately 2,346 rai (375 hectares) of land. Current hatchery production exceeds 25 million post-larvae per year with a potential production of over 100 million. The total production of marketable prawn in 1980 is estimated to be about 350 tons with a total retail value of nearly 70 million Baht ($3.5 million). Thailand is already a leader in terms of total land used for freshwater prawn production including Hawaii. Since culture technology is not expected to be a limiting factor for expansion, the future development of this industry depends mainly on its economic viability and the market potential for locally produced prawn. The economic viability of this industry was evaluated mainly based on the d ata collected from a field survey. The production efficiency of both hatchery and grow–out farm operations in Thailand is relatively low. The productivity per unit of Artemia (the most important food for juvenile prawn) used in the hatchery is only about half that in Hawaii, and the production of marketable prawn per unit of pond area is only one-third. However, despite the low productivities, all of the hatcheries and farms interviewed are currently making a good profit mainly because of the re latively low cost of inputs and the prevailing high price of prawn. The average rate of return to initial investment is high for both hatchery and grow-out farm operations. In most cases, the initial investment can be paid off within the second year of operation. However, this situation will change if the production exceeds the demand resulting in a lower price for prawn and hence lower profit.

Cite this content as:

FAO, Rome (Italy). Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Bangkok (Thailand). Dept. of Fisheries. 1980. Thai freshwater prawn and brine shrimp farming. Report on a study of economics, marketing and processing requirements. 129 p.

Language English

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