Bunjonk Nissapawanich’s shrimp farm appears no different from the tens of thousands of similar operations found in and adjacent to Thailand’s aquatic areas. But were one to take note of the constant stream of researchers who regularly visit his 18-hectare facility, it’s clear that something significant is under way here.
Indeed, nothing less than the maintenance of Thailand’s worldwide leadership in shrimp exports, valued at $2.64 billion in 2009, is tied up in Bunjonk’s rows of concrete tanks and earthen ponds located 100 km east of Bangkok. Specifically, efforts are under way to produce black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) that are faster growing, more disease resistant and of more uniform size than anywhere else in the world.
“Our dream is to have other countries depend on us when they look for good disease-free black tiger shrimp,” says Morakot Tanticharoen, vice president of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).
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