China's Shandong Province is boosting farmed prawn production; oriental shrimp output rises to 58,000 tons by the end of Sept.

During 2006, Shandong Province boosted production of farmed prawn, including oriental shrimp, by strengthening farm management.

Currently the province has 139 rearing ponds for oriental shrimp and other species, with the total pen volume standing at 260,000 cubic meters.

The total seed volume now reached 1.05 billion shrimp, up about one billion shrimp from 2005.

The prices of juveniles are said to be about the same as in 2005.

The shrimp farm space in the province in 2006 extends about 63,650 hectares, up by about 3,300 hectares from 2005.

As of the end of September 2006, the farmed volume of oriental shrimp in the province reached 58,000 tons, giving a prospect that the total annual production in 2006 will increase by 5,000 tons over 2005.

Analysts predict that prices will go up moderately.

Industry observers point out three features to the province's prawn farming for this year.

1. Increased production of white shrimp

Farming of white shrimp in freshwater increased, with farm space expanding to 11,390 hectares, up about 670 hectares in 2005. Also, marine culture of white shrimp saw a large increase in such places as Tsingtao, which pushed up the overall production of white shrimp in the province to go over 30,000 tons.

2. Increasing profit from prawn farming

The present prices of prawn are increased by about 2 Yuan from a year earlier. The prices of oriental shrimp are the highest at 50 Yuan per 500 grams (less than 20 shrimp), with those of kuruma prawn standing at 20-30 yuan/500 grams and those of white shrimp at 15-20 yuan/500 grams.

3. Lower disease occurrence rate

Efforts were made in many areas of the province to make structural adjustments, with emphasis given to kuruma prawn and white shrimp for which disease occurrence rates in farming are relatively lower. Anti-disease measures were taken to reduce the possible damage on shrimp.