World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2021 41 TABLE 7. Additional investment requirements for adoption of improved management practices. Ty p e s o f i n t e r v en t i on Op e ra t i ona l c o s t 1 Add i t i ona l Add i t i ona l To t a l (US$/ha) o p e ra t i ona l c o s t f i x e d c o s t add i t i ona l c o s t (US$/ha) (US$/ha) (US$/ha) Increase water depth 20 cm 1345 2563 2563 Add supplementary feed 1% of shrimp body weight 2382 1037 0 1037 Increased depth + supplementary feed 2619 1274 2563 3837 Supplementary feed (1% of BW) + 2 short cycles + 20 cm increased depth 2692 1347 2563 3910 1 Ope ra t i ona l c o s t o f t rad i t i ona l e x t ens i v e f arms ba s ed on t he da t a f r om CPWF e xpe r imen t dur i ng 2012-2014, i nc l ud i ng l and r en t va l ue and own l abo r c o s t . of shrimp produced by this type of farming allowed farmers to receive greater economic returns, branding value and environmen- tal benefits (Osborne 2018). Demonstration of Profitable Improved Management Practices A joint research initiative of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) andWorldFish during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the CPWF-GBDC project demonstrated that simple improvements in various farmmanagement practices can greatly increase shrimp yield and profitability (Table 6). A lack of investment capital limits adoption of improved management practices. From the point of view of actual investment for annual farm operation, adoption of improved management requires doubling operational costs (Table 7). However, if considered from the standpoint of the special operational management arrangement farmers have with retailers, adoption of improved management requires even more investment capital. Being categorized as a high-risk crop, market actors are less interested in providing credit for expensive inputs such as feed. For the same reason, getting a loan from a bank or micro-credit NGOs is difficult and furthermore most farmers are also unwilling to take on the burden of loans. If the risk of shrimp farming can be minimized, farmers and market actors will gradually start coordinating to improve the overall farming system. A middleman buying shrimp at a farm (Photo: WorldFish). Some farmers take their shrimp to the nearest auction center, especially when the catch amount is a little greater than normal (Photo: WorldFish). One of the major reason disease spreads very quickly from one farm to another is due to a lack of proper water supply and drainage system infrastructure. As a result, all farmers in the interior part of the landscape need to take water from neighboring farms. If water inlets and outlet at the landscape level can be made, much of the farm level biosecurity could be improved and risk minimized. Conclusion To move ahead from the stagnant production status, Bangladesh needs to review policies to consider allowing Litopenaeus vannamei and improvement of Penaeus monodon , encouraging the private sector to invest and work together with smallholders and public sector investment to improve farming infrastructure. By taking these initiatives, Bangladesh can also return to the global shrimp business, diversify its export commodity profile and improve the livelihood of smallholder shrimp producers. Notes K.A. Kabir, UMR-ISEM, CIRAD, Montpellier, France, Kazi.kabir@cirad.fr R.H Sarwer, Helios Consultancy, Bangladesh, sarwerrh@gmail.com M.A. Haque, Department of Fisheries, Satkhira, Bangladesh, md.azharul1170@gmail S.B. Saha, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, sbikashsaha@ yahoo.com ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 4 2 )