Guyana earns over $750M from brackish water shrimp in 7 months

Between January and July 2023, Guyana has earned $764 million in revenue from the production of brackish water shrimp.
President Irfaan Ali updated on Tuesday that production increased to 448,250 kilograms, reflecting a 19 per cent increase over the same period in 2022.
According to Ali, this success is a result of the Government’s investment of over $400 million in the industry since 2021.
It was previously reported that under this project, farmers were able to produce 182.89 metric tons (182,890 kilograms) of blackwater shrimp in the first quarter of this year, earning over $274 million. These tubes will be used to enhance the ponds for proper drainage and to take in water, so that farmers could grow the larvae to come into shrimp.
A few days ago, the Agriculture Ministry issued an invitation for bids for the supply of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) tubes for the brackish water shrimp project in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) at an estimated cost of $24.5 million.
This comes from a total of $349.6 million allocated in this year’s budget to support the further improvement of the fishing industry.
Initially, the objective was to increase production to 500,000 kilogrammes annually. The launch of this project in 2021 along the Corentyne Coast saw significant interest from stakeholders to take advantage of the seafood potential here.
To date, Government has been able to construct 133 ponds, resulting in them exceeding initial production figures.
In advancing the country’s agriculture sector and strengthening its food security, the Government has been working to revitalise its aquaculture industry, expending over $500 million last year to do so. Further, another $750 million in cash grants were distributed to aid fishermen as they tackle the rising cost of living, low catch resulting from global warming, and increases in operational cost.
The production of prawns and the lucrative marine cage project are expected to further boost the country’s aquaculture sector significantly, since they will be expanded countrywide. For 2023, another 50 cages will be set up.
These efforts have been amplified with the commitment to increase cage culture to about 50-75 cages this year, improve the facilities of some 75 landing sites, and increasing the production of brackish water shrimp.
Earlier this year, the Ministry also collaborated with the Food and Agriculture (FAO) Organization and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop and receive several manuals to address critical aspects of the fishing industry: the FAO-led Seabob Management Plan (2022-2027), the WWF-produced Guyana Marine Industry Management Plan (2022-2027), and the Agriculture Ministry’s new Brackish Water Shrimp Production Manual. (G12)