Kings Infra seeks Middle East JVs for shrimp farming

Kings Infra Venture Ltd, a technology-driven aquaculture company, which recently achieved a world record in harvesting L Vannamei shrimps, is looking at the Middle East for potential joint ventures and collaboration.

Shaji Baby John, chairman and managing director, Kings Infra, said: "The countries in the Middle East region are having a large coastline with salinity conditions similar to that prevailing in the coastal area of Tamil Nadu. We would be looking for collaborations with companies in the Middle East to develop aquaculture in the region.”

“The UAE has a long coastline and many islands suitable for aquaculture development. Being a global trade and logistical hub, we have to take various factors into consideration in favour of zeroing in on the UAE for our overseas foray. We have received several serious enquires from some top players in the Middle East exploring possibilities of collaboration or JVs for the SISTA360. We would be evaluating them before taking a final decision," John added.

L Vannamei, commonly known as the white leg shrimp, are native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. The maximum size this species can grow in the natural ocean habitat in 12-14 months is 230 mm. To achieve similar growth in a pond-based aquaculture system in a period of 100-130 days is an incredible feat according to experts. The average size of harvested shrimps is 18-20 gm in the normal aqua farms. The record-breaking growth was achieved in normal earthen ponds by applying SISTA360 protocols developed by the R&D wing of the Kings Infra.

"The successful harvesting is a milestone in our R&D efforts to develop an eco-friendly and economically sustainable aquaculture practice that could be replicated by small and marginal farmers. The success is noteworthy as our team had achieved the same in a 90-130-day harvest cycle despite facing several critical issues including adverse weather conditions,” he further added.

Kings Infra is adopting SISTA360 protocols in all the ponds under cultivation in the new crop starting from end of January. The idea is to achieve the production of jumbo-sized shrimps on a consistent basis. The increase in the number of crops would ensure that the top line would double in the next 12 months while the bottom-line by 200 per cent.