Singapore firm nets shrimp deal in China

Victoria Vaughan, Straits Times 11 Aug 09;

A SINGAPORE-based aquaculture company has netted an endorsement from the China government to supply disease-resistant baby shrimp to farms across the country.

T-Tech International Singapore, set up last year, will supply first-generation shrimp fries from its farm in Fengxian district, Shanghai municipality.

This agreement gives it a foothold in China, which provides 65 per cent of the world's shrimp supply.

'It gives us credibility as there are firms claiming to be providing first-generation shrimp but they may be taking short cuts and mixing first and second generations,' said executive director Alex Chin, 49.

A spokesman from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said this is the first local firm it knew of that had cracked China in this way.

'Using good quality shrimp fry that are selectively bred for fast growth and certified disease-free against certain diseases is a positive step towards minimising the risk of disease outbreaks and getting a more predictable yield in shrimp farming,' he said.

First-generation shrimp are from parent shrimp which have been genetically selected to ensure their offspring are disease resistant.

T-Tech buys genetically selected parent shrimp from Shrimp Improvement Systems, a United States company with a presence in Singapore.

It breeds them in seawater in its Hainan hatchery before transporting the fries by sea and air to its Fengxian farm to sell. The process, from hatching to selling, takes about 15 days.

The majority of shrimp farms in China use second- and third-generation shrimp, which are 30 per cent to 40 per cent more susceptible to disease, especially white spot - the main killer of shrimp, explained Mr Chin.

Currently, only 3 per cent of all shrimp fries bred and sold in China are first generation - which are usually resistant to white spot.

According to Mr Chin, there are currently six to eight companies which provide first-generation shrimp fries in China, all with foreign components.

The company aims to set up farms in Fujian and Jiangsu provinces.

So far this year, T-Tech has sold 1.2 billion shrimp fries in China, and hopes to up this to five billion next year.