Despite being one of the smallest shrimp producers in the world, the organically produced Malagasy giant tiger shrimp (P. monodon) is well-known for its high quality and unique taste, making it a desirable product, especially for the European market.
Something that the biggest shrimp producers in Madagascar’s aquaculture sector have in common is that they are dedicated to offering the finest quality shrimp, produced in a sustainable manner. ShrimpTails Kari-Anne Sandness interviewed Amyne H. Ismail and Philippe Blais from one of the biggest shrimp producers in Madagascar, the ASC-certified Unima Group, to learn more about the history behind their high-quality product and about their perspectives for the future.
Madagascar’s shrimp sector is characterized by producers’ commitment to protecting the environment and upholding their social responsibilities, both of which are, in turn, important factors in their success. When Unima began as a family company in the 1970s, at that time in Madagascar there was nothing in place for the production of cultured shrimp. Effectively, Unima had to start from scratch. They had to establish and develop each part of the supply chain, from the production of fish meal to the cooking and packing of the shrimp. Needless to say, their exports paid off and Unima has since become a pioneer in the Malagasy shrimp industry.
With a vision to produce the best quality shrimp in the world, Unima has led the way in developing farming models that can offer high-quality shrimp to the international market, produced in a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible manner.
After trialing a range of farming methods over the years, Unima developed a new method, which combines various practices from Latin America and is characterized by a low-intensity production system to farm the Asian black tiger shrimp species. This method has made it possible to develop farms where the shrimp can grow in conditions that are similar to those of their natural environment and, importantly, at their own speed.
From their humble origins, Unima is today in a position to offer their buyers full transparency: they can tell the whole story of their products. Since the late 1990s, Malagasy shrimp has been a desirable product, and especially so in the French and Spanish markets, largely thanks to its impressive size, sweet flavor and firm texture. Ismail, the Unima Group’s Chairman, puts their success down to the company’s dedication and e orts to develop the sustainable production of a high-quality product at local levels on a relatively small scale, stating that Unima “has shown that things can be done in a country locally.”
Averting disaster
After years of sustained production growth, and having established good trade relations with the European market, the Malagasy shrimp industry was hit by white spot syndrome in 2011. This outbreak was first detected in Mozambique and spread rapidly to most farms in Madagascar. The aquaculture sector in general had to take action and adapt to both strengthen the industry and make it possible to recover from the outbreak. According to Blais, Unima’s sales manager, the most important factor for Unima in surviving this outbreak was their strategy: they decided not to work against the white spot syndrome, but to work with it. This meant investing in finding new solutions, such as improving the water quality in their ponds through the extensive use of probiotics, and the installation of an ozone water treatment system to improve the farm’s biosecurity, an investment that has also resulted in better preservation of shrimp health for the future.
After the white spot syndrome outbreak, the Madagascan aqua- culture sector experienced a few years of transition and adaptation characterized by comparatively low production volumes. Today, however, volumes are steadily increasing, and new and improved farming methods are in place as a result. Testament to this is that the Madagascar Shrimp Fishermen and Farmers Association (GAP-CM) recently introduced the label “Madagascar Shrimp”, which denotes shrimp from “the Red Island” as a product of excellence within the international shrimp market. It also serves to reassure importers about the legitimacy and traceability of the product. This suggests that the sector is stronger than ever before.
Looking forward
Talking to Blais, it has become clear that the environmental conditions and climate are favorable for expanding the aquaculture sector in Madagascar: there are abundant areas of mangroves available and Unima plans to capitalize on this by expanding their own production volumes in the years to come. On the other hand, Blais makes it clear that it is important for the sector, and for Unima in particular, to ensure that an eventual expansion of production does not cause any environmental damage. He is quick to stress that it is important to maintain and ensure sustainable production with the protection of the mangrove areas at the forefront of their plans. Unima therefore seeks to constantly improve their methods and strives to find better solutions as a way to ensure that their activities have as little impact on the environment as possible. Unima is also looking for other solutions to offer high-quality products and has started to cooperate with farmers in other countries, such as those in Ecuador, to expand its range of shrimp products. The idea behind this is that they wish to support farmers in other countries that share the same core values as Unima, namely farmers that also produce high-quality shrimp farmed in accordance with sustainable standards.
In previous years, when the production volumes were low due to white spot syndrome, the Malagasy shrimp producers had to be selective with which markets they could offer their products to. But now, as production volumes are increasing again, more and more possibilities for offering their high-quality shrimp to new markets are opening up. This means that Unima is currently in the process of finding new markets, particularly those that appreciate good taste. Unima knows that the Malagasy shrimp does not yet have the potential to compete with Asian shrimp suppliers in terms of the quantity they are able to pro- duce. So they will stay true to their vision, which is to produce the best quality shrimp in the world. As stressed by Ismail: “Seafood is pleasure, it is about taste, and taste has a value.”
