63 ponds completed to ramp up production of brackish water shrimp

A total of 63 ponds have been completed as part of the government’s efforts to increase the production of brackish water shrimp from 250,000 kilograms to 500,000 kilograms by 2025.

The Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) are expected to build an additional 11 ponds as part of Phase 1 of the Project. These additional 11 ponds are about 85% complete, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has been quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

“We are doing the earthworks and installation of tubes to assist with providing sufficient water supply to the ponds. Currently, there are three machines working at different locations to complete these works as soon as possible,” the minister said.

Earlier in the year, while discussing Guyana’s aquaculture potential, Minister Mustapha highlighted that Guyana has all the resources necessary to develop a thriving aquaculture sector.

“Aquaculture in Guyana shows strong potential since the country has relatively large acres of flat lands with suitable soil types and access to large quantities and good quality freshwater (water conservancies)… more so, there are existing drainage and irrigation infrastructure in some areas, sub-tropical temperatures for shrimp and fish production and good availability of agricultural, more specifically fisheries by-products for the formulation and manufacturing of aquafeed,” Minister Mustapha said.

The government, through its updated inland and aquaculture strategy, 2021-2026, has outlined its plans to address the challenges plaguing the aquaculture industry while creating an enabling and sustainable environment for investments.

Plans to develop a project for aquaculture zoning both on land and in water also form part of the government’s vision for the sector. The zoning of lands for aquaculture would allow investors to easily identify and access land.