Thai shrimp farmers have asked the government for clearer policy and more support to revive black tiger shrimp farming, claiming the industry would benefit from a more sustainable income than white shrimp.
Five years ago, black tigers contributed more than 85 percent of the total shrimp export volume. In 2007, the volume dropped to 23,934 metric tons, accounting for only 6.7 percent of the total exports.
White shrimp has dominated the industry, with processors and exporters preferring them due to lower costs and a higher survival rate.
Thailand's success in raising white shrimp has led to oversupply, causing prices to nosedive. Smaller farmers and hatcheries have been forced out of business and farmers have had to go abroad and work for hatcheries in Bangladesh, which has shifted its focus to black tigers.
Poj Aramwattananont, president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, told the Bangkok Post that its fisheries department is devising a plan to balance the production of the two shrimp species, with the goal of increasing the production of black tiger shrimp to 30 percent of total production in the next five years.
