Sustainable animal feed technology helps India's shrimp farmers overcome disease in animals
MrFeed® results in higher survivability, increased yields and ultimately higher profits for shrimp producers
India is one of the world’s top producers of shrimp with a sizable share of production volume of global fisheries and aquaculture. The country’s low consumption level of shrimp compared to other major producers like China have allowed it to export the vast majority of its shrimp and become the largest exporter in the world.
A recent article by A. Victor Suresh, Ph.D., President of the Society of Aquaculture Professionals in India, noted that exports have grown 430 percent in volume during the last decade.
While this is impressive, one pervasive issue that has negatively affected the industry since it began in the late 1980s is disease among shrimp populations. When the industry was just starting to take off, growth was hampered by White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). Today, WSSV is more contained, but shrimp farmers and producers of all sizes have to contend with other malaise issues such as White Feces Disease (WFD).
Dr. Suresh stated in the aforementioned article, published by the Global Aquafeed Alliance, that the Indian shrimp farming industry has an established production capacity of 120 billion postlarvae (PLs) per year, from an estimated 550 to 600 hatcheries. But due to disease and other issues within the industry, India only produced 7 billion PLs in 2019.
Menon Renewable Products, an ag-tech startup in San Diego, California, is working to change that with its functional ingredient, MrFeed®. MrFeed® is a disruptive technology that significantly enhances animal growth and gut health. Through inclusion of a spectrum of unique prebiotics, nucleotides and peptides, MrFeed® enhances digestibility and promotes animal health and welfare, while reducing the need for antibiotics and other disease remediation treatments.
Through an exclusive commercial partnership between Menon and Growel Feeds, one of the leading aqua feed manufacturers in India specializing in shrimp and fish feeds, MrFeed® is helping India’s shrimp farmers overcome various diseases like WFD, WSSV and others.
