3. Up until the summer of 2013, Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) kept shrimp farmers awake at night. The disease had run unchecked through Southeast Asia and beyond, costing the shrimp farming industry billions of U.S. dollars in damages.
When scientists tracked the cause of the disease to a bacteria in 2013, the industry breathed a sigh of relief, but the problem wasn’t over yet. It was going to take time and effort to begin to turn the corner on the disease.
But in December, Rabobank released a new report with bold statements about the current and predicted state of the shrimp farming industry. Not only has the firm determined that the industry will bounce back from the disease, but some sectors already have.
Rabobank was careful not to say the disease was eradicated, but while acknowledging it remains and may always be a problem, the firm noted that several sectors, including Vietnam, are showing signs of recovery. While some industry experts have questioned the report, it remains a welcome sight after the doom and gloom that has hung over shrimp farmers for several years now.
