Key Performance Characteristics of Organic Shrimp Aquaculture in Southwest Bangladesh

Brojo Gopal Paul,Christian Reinhard Vogl

doi:10.3390/su4050995

Brojo Gopal Paul, Christian Reinhard Vogl

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su4050995

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Abstract

In Bangladesh, black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon; Fabricius, 1798) aquaculture has come to be one of the most important sectors in both the rural and national economies. Likewise, organic shrimp aquaculture has emerged as an alternative farming enterprise for farmers especially in the southwestern districts of Bangladesh. The present study aims to show key performance characteristics of organic shrimp farmers and farming in a prototypical shrimp farming area in Bangladesh. Data was collected in 2009 from organic shrimp farmers in the Kaligonj and Shyamnagar sub-districts through questionnaire interviews, transect walks and focus group discussions. The mean productivity of organic shrimp farming in the area is 320 kg ha−1 yr−1 (ranging from 120 to 711 kg ha−1year−1). Organic farmers are more likely to have a higher monthly income and less aquaculture experience. Moreover, suitable landholdings and classified labor distribution have been found to play an important role in the development of organic shrimp aquaculture. The most common assets of organic shrimp aquaculture are high yield, low production cost, available post larvae and high market prices. Small business farmers are likely to earn more income benefits from organic shrimp aquaculture than their larger-scale counterparts. Finally, the paper suggests that more research is needed to stimulate the success of organic shrimp aquaculture.

Highlights

Worldwide, aquaculture is dominating all other animal food-producing sectors in terms of growth.The sector has been growing at an average annual rate of 8.9% since 1970, compared with 1.4% for capture fisheries and 2.8% for terrestrial meat production systems [1]
In 2008, there were 225 certified organic aquaculture operations in 26 different countries, with an overall production amounting to 53,000 tons [7]
The aim of this paper is to show how shrimp farmers perform organic practices and to identify key performance characteristics considering land and labor distribution in a study site prototypical for aquaculture in Bangladesh

Summary

Introduction

Aquaculture is dominating all other animal food-producing sectors in terms of growth. The sector has been growing at an average annual rate of 8.9% since 1970, compared with 1.4% for capture fisheries and 2.8% for terrestrial meat production systems [1]. Aquaculture has lagged behind the agriculture sectors in terms of both quantity and diversity of certified organic produce [1,2]. Consumer demand for organic produce is growing faster than supply [4]. The growth in global demand for organic foods is estimated at 20% per annum [5]. The growth rate of organic aquaculture products, is unknown, but estimates range from 20% to 30% annually [6]. In 2008, there were 225 certified organic aquaculture operations in 26 different countries, with an overall production amounting to 53,000 tons [7].

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