What is happening in the global shrimp industry?
General trends suggest continued dynamic growth, driven by stable demand, especially from Asia and Western countries, as well as the development of cluster farming, which increases the sustainability of production and reduces the risks of disease.
Key producers today are India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Ecuador. And the main sales markets are the USA, EU, Japan, China and South Korea, where demand is growing against the backdrop of a decrease in domestic production and the popularity of shrimp as a universal culinary ingredient.
But the main challenges of the global industry are: reduced immunity, high levels of losses due to bacterial infections. Even 50% of crop mortality is considered the norm in the industry. That is why the search for effective and safe modern approaches to the diet and health of shrimp remains a critically important task for the stable development of the industry.
What is the Ukrainian aquaculture market like?
We feel a reflection of global trends, as well as high interest in the product of retail chains and the hospitality sector. More and more entrepreneurs are showing interest in independent seafood cultivation.
The limited availability of inland water bodies, climate features and lack of infrastructure do not allow us to quickly establish the volume of shrimp cultivation using traditional methods. In fact, this is one of the reasons why the domestic supply deficit is covered by imports.
According to the TradeData.Pro database, in 2024, at least 20 thousand tons of shrimp of various types and degrees of processing were imported into Ukraine. Dependence on imports is an obvious fact, but it can be considered not only as a weakness, but also as a signal of the market's readiness for the emergence of local producers.
Back in 2021, the largest shrimp farm in Europe began operating in the Mykolaiv region - a high-tech closed-loop complex that was supposed to fully satisfy the Ukrainian consumer's demand for a quality product - fresh shrimp. At the same time, immediately after the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, logistics, energy and security were under threat - and the farm was forced to suspend production processes for an indefinite period. The market, which was supposed to begin active development in 2022, lost several years, but now, despite all the problems, it is gradually adapting to today's difficult realities.
Do not underestimate the potential of the industry. Of course, we cannot yet compete with the Asian market in quantity, but we can probably compete with approach. The strategically optimal path for Ukraine is to focus on quality: the introduction of biotechnological solutions that optimize the diet and strengthen the health and resilience of shrimp, which directly affects productivity, profitability and development of the industry as a whole. The key task here is not only to replace imports, but to create an industry capable of offering competitive products on the world market.
Sustainability as a strategy: Yeast in a new profitability formula
The facts described above became an impetus for Enzym Group to search for new solutions. We already had many years of experience working with yeast products in animal husbandry and saw how they strengthen the immunity and productivity of cows and poultry. It was quite logical to ask the following question: if yeast works on farms, can it help in reservoirs?
We at Enzym Group decided to test how natural biotechnologies can minimize the main risk of the industry, namely the increase in mortality under certain conditions and at certain stages. To do this, we conducted an experiment in Vietnam, one of the main centers of global shrimp farming. The object of the study was Penaeus vannamei, the most popular species among farms. The shrimp were divided into two groups: one was fed standard feed, the other with the addition of a yeast product in a small dose of 0.05%. The results showed that shrimp with yeast supplementation survived 43% better and had 7.6% more body weight gain, compared to shrimp on a standard diet without additives.
What does this mean for the market?
crop stability as an investment advantage: a 43% increase in survival is a strong argument in favor of the projected profitability. Reducing financial costs, in turn, increases the potential attraction of investors, which is a critically important step for the formation, or rather the restoration of the local market, following the example of a shrimp farm in the Mykolaiv region.
natural solutions: yeast has the potential to become a safe and effective alternative to antibiotics and safely replace antibiotics and be used as a preventive measure to improve overall immunity and health of shrimp readiness for innovation: aquaculture feed manufacturers are ready to look for ways to improve the efficiency of rations, taking into account the natural composition and safety for the environment.
The Ukrainian shrimp market is currently going through an important stage. Despite the challenges of war and economic instability, consumer demand is growing, producers are demonstrating a willingness to experiment and introduce innovations, and as a result, new solutions and approaches are emerging. It is now that an understanding is being formed that investments in quality, science and sustainable production can be the key to creating an industry capable of satisfying domestic demand and gradually restoring the potential of Ukrainian shrimp farming.
