Skretting optimizes Vietnamese shrimp production through intensive farming program

For many people and rural communities throughout Vietnam, aquaculture is the main source of social and economic stability, providing them with essential employment, food security and livelihoods. To support the country’s aquaculture development, Skretting Vietnam has long been committed to providing the ideal feed solutions, knowledge, techniques and practices for farmers to flourish.

Skretting launched the “SUCCESS” program in October 2019 to reduce the costs of producing shrimp and increase farming profitability. The program is essentially a sustainable shrimp farming model from seeding to harvest and has been specifically designed to maintain biosecurity to minimize disease risks for Vietnamese farmers.

Built on the concept of “SUCCESS for everyone”, one of the program’s main strengths is its flexibility, which makes it adaptable to suit ponds of all kinds. In the three years since its launch, it has increased profitability, averaging 30-40% compared to traditional farming models. This significant improvement is due to a combination of five key factors:

An optimized survival rate up to 90%.
A 30% increase in average growth rates.
Higher prices (ca. 10%) from selling antibiotic-free shrimp.
Minimized risks of disease outbreaks.
Reduced production cost by an average of 6-8% versus other intensive and super-intensive operations in Vietnam.

SUCCESS stories

Farm owner, Mr. Đắc, is among the growing number of farmers who have benefitted from the SUCCESS program. In 2020, after farming shrimp for ten years, Mr. Đắc decided to introduce the program to his five-hectare site (one nursery system, and five grow-out ponds). His total investment, including equipment, pond renovations, etc., amounted to €51,800.

Achieving an average survival rate of 90%, two harvests provided 62 tons of shrimp with an average feed conversion ratio (FCR), earning Mr. Đắc’s farm €300,000. Consequently, he achieved a profit and net profit of €126,000 and €71,000, respectively.

“I am so happy to work with Skretting in shrimp farming, and I am very confident with the SUCCESS program. It brings good practices with regards to protecting the environment, and this helps me to farm sustainably. At the same time, SUCCESS brings good profit values with optimal production cost,” said Đắc. “This program is truly beneficial to farmers, especially during this challenging period with diseases and environmental pollution risks.”

Cherdchai Thoongchoo, Skretting technical services manager for Southeast Asia, is very happy to support customers with the program. “With the understanding that a large number of farmers were looking for a sustainable shrimp farming model, and living up to our principle that “prevention is better than cur”’ when it comes to minimizing disease risks, Skretting has extensively researched and built the SUCCESS program,” said Cherdchai. “Having flexibility in the design, construction and operation of ponds is a considerable advantage and has made this new initiative effective in all of Vietnam’s shrimp farming regions. We are so happy to have brought such a good program to Vietnamese farmers.”