Black tiger shrimp regaining its position from whiteleg shrimp

Robins McIntosh, Vice President of Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), said that Asia’s black tiger shrimp farming industry was leading the world.

Thanks to the use of high-quality disease-free broodstock over the past few years, shrimp farmers in China and India have been returning to black tiger shrimp farming which was overwhelmed by whiteleg shrimp.

The world’s production of black tiger shrimp has grown impressively 43 per cent in just two years. CPF estimates that the global output of black tiger shrimp in 2021 reached about 546,000 tonnes.

In 2022, the world’s black tiger shrimp production would continue to increase as the outputs of China and India are expected to grow at two-digit numbers.

In China, whiteleg shrimp often encounter diseases such as EMS, SHIV, EHP. However, black tiger shrimp are almost free of these diseases and have a high success rate. The success rate in whiteleg shrimp ponds was 30-40 per cent while the success rate of black tiger shrimp was 90 per cent two years ago due to the low density of shrimp population. China is growing more and more black tiger shrimp than whiteleg shrimp.

In 2021, McIntosh predicted the volume of China's black tiger shrimp increased by 50,000 tonnes and would increase by 30,000 tonnes in 2022, bringing the country's total production to nearly 180,000 tonnes.

In India, the volume of black tiger shrimp started to increase in 2021. According to McIntosh, the production of black tiger shrimp, mainly in the states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal increased by nearly 10,000-15,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonnes in 2021.

In 2022, CPF data forecasts India's black tiger shrimp production will increase by 20,000 tonnes to 70,000-80,000 tonnes. India increased farming of black tiger shrimp when the success rate was higher than that of whiteleg shrimp.

With the improved stock of black tiger shrimp parents, McIntosh believes that shrimp farmers in Southeast Asia will have to wonder whether to raise whiteleg or black tiger shrimp or both in 2022.

One reason for the increase in the production of black tiger shrimp in recent years is that the survival rate of whiteleg shrimp is decreasing and disease outbreaks on this type of shrimp increase.