Saturday, May 25, 2013

Most Shrimp Suppliers Are From Asia

By Kathryn Neal


Shrimp has been consumed by people for at least five hundred years. They are mainly grown in Asia but there are also shrimp suppliers in South America. It used to be that only family owned businesses raised them but now it has become a profitable trade. Small business owners can still make a living though, as there is enough demand for everyone.

Crustaceans have been cultivated for centuries; in fact some brackish water ponds in Indonesia have been dated as far back as the 15th century. Many rice farmers found that this trade was far more profitable than just growing rice and some have even replaced the rice completely. The farms are generally found around a body of water, such as on a river bank or near the coast.

China is the biggest supplier in the world. In fact, about three quarters of all these tiny shellfish are farmed in Asia with India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia following closely behind China. While many of these countries used to count on their production to bring a lot of money to their countries, over the last twenty years or so the market has dropped off a little. Part of the problem has been disease but there were also concerns about damage to environment caused by farming.

In recent years farming has become industrialized and is more efficient than it was in earlier times. Part of this is because there were many concerns about diseases in the product. However, it is also partially in response to concerns about the environmental impact. Shrimp suppliers rely upon a supply chain production method. They use fertilizers to nourish the phytoplankton and then supplement the diet with feeders filled with artificial food. This way, farmers have brought crustaceans to the market much more quickly and efficiently.

Some farmers raise crustaceans in hatcheries, ponds, and nurseries. This is especially true of small business owners who raise small amounts. They sell them locally and do not need to use the more industrialized methods. Some larger farmers, though, will have the tiny shellfish raised in nurseries and then transferred to ponds when they are around three weeks old. Once they are full grown they are then harvested and sent to the market.

About 2.5 million tons are produced every year with the majority coming from Asia. Even though there have been problems in the last thirty years with disease outbreaks, it is still very profitable. Additionally, workers typically are paid better by shrimp suppliers than by most other industries in some lower income countries. While some profits are taken up by large conglomerates, much of the industry still lies with local farmers.

Half a million tons of this tiny shellfish are imported yearly into the United States. Another half a million tons goes to Europe and another quarter million to Japan. The remainder stay in the domestic market, where they are still part of the Asian diet. This tasty creature does not require much work, although it must be peeled, and it has remained a favorite partially because of this.

Shrimp suppliers produced millions of tons for export to the United States and Europe every year. However, there is also a big market for crustaceans in the local marketplace. Farmers have developed better techniques for nurturing the shrimp and it remains a profitable industry.




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