Vesu Chokdi, Gujarat-based Mindhola Foods is embracing the return to black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), following a trend among Indian shrimp farmers. Founded in 2019, Mindhola Foods initially farmed whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Now, 95% of its 400 hectares produce black tiger shrimp, yielding around 1,500 metric tons annually. This switch is due to improved specific pathogen-free (SPF) broodstocks, offering better yields and fewer disease issues.
“Nearly 100% of farms in Gujarat now farm black tiger shrimp,” said Zubin Mehta, Head of Operations and Sales at Mindhola Foods, during the 2024 Seafood Expo Global. While vannamei still dominates the east coast, black tiger shrimp are making a comeback there as well.
India, which produced mostly black tiger shrimp until 2009, switched to vannamei after early mortality syndrome (EMS) hit. By 2019-20, black tiger production had dropped to 38,000 metric tons from over 100,000 MT between 2010 and 2013. Falling prices and disease issues have since made vannamei less profitable, leading to a 60% increase in black tiger output since 2020.
Improved broodstock from Moana Technologies (Hawaii), Unima (Madagascar), and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (India) has accelerated this trend. Black tiger shrimp, with lower farming densities (12-15 shrimp per square meter compared to 30-35 for vannamei), offer cost-effective production and larger sizes.
“We produce bigger shrimp at lower costs, making farmers happy,” said Hetal Patel, Partner at Mindhola Foods. The saltier taste of Gujarat’s shrimp is especially popular in Japan. Mindhola Foods exports to Japan, Southeast Asia, China, the U.S., and more, emphasizing quality and environmental control. The company had sales of INR 2.38 billion (USD 28.5 million) in 2023 and is expanding into ready-to-eat products.
Source-seafoodsource
