SHRIMP AQUACULTURE IN BANGLADESH: PROSPECTS, CHALLENGES, AND PATHWAYS TO GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS

<p style="text-align: justify; ">Shrimp farming is vital in Bangladesh's economy, significantly contributing to domestic consumption and export revenues. This review explores the potential and challenges facing the shrimp aquaculture of Bangladesh. Mainly, three major shrimp species are commercially cultivated in Bangladesh such as Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Galda), Penaeus monodon (Bagda), and Penaeus vannamei (White Shrimp), with farming concentrated in the coastal regions of Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, and Chittagong. Penaeus monodon (Bagda), the Bangladesh Tiger Shrimp, is the only shrimp species in the country to be granted a certified Geographical Indication (GI) status. Over the past two decades, shrimp production has grown by nearly 55%, establishing Bangladesh as one of the leading players in global shrimp aquaculture. In 2022-2023, the total shrimp production of Bangladesh reached more than 144 thousand metric tons by aquaculture alone, with over 25,000 metric tons of frozen shrimp exported globally. Despite this remarkable progress, several challenges persist, including inadequate supply chain infrastructure and limited access to advanced freezing technology in rural coastal areas, which hinder further industry growth. Moreover, climate change could have caused temperature fluctuations, changes in salinity, degradation of coastal ecosystems, extreme weather events, and disease outbreaks, which result in serious challenges for shrimp aquaculture. The government and NGOs must collaborate to invest in research, infrastructure, and capacity-building initiatives to enhance the shrimp industry's global competitiveness.