Semaun To Hike Blue Shrimp Exports By 50%
By Debbie Too

Bandar Seri Begawan - Semaun Marine Resources Sdn Bhd has seen steady growth of its exports of the Brunei Blue Shrimp to Taiwan, encouraging it to aim for a 50-per cent increase in export volumes this year.

The company's annual yield and sale is about 400 tonnes and it has set a target to export 600 tonnes this year.

"This shrimp is very popular in Taiwan. It is a high-grade shrimp that is ranked with the same level as the sashimi shrimp that Japanese eat," said Richard Chuang Hsi Shan, general manager of Semaun Marine Resources, which packs locally produced shrimp for export.

Semaun Marine Resources Sdn Bhd is a joint-venture company between Semaun Holdings, wholly-owned by the government, and Full Win Business Pte Ltd, a Taiwanbased company.

Chuang said that at the start the exporter faced challenges over its export price of between $10 and $11.50 per kilogramme.

"Marketing was very important in the beginning; many customers in Taiwan were asking us why we were selling this shrimp at a more expensive price. That is why preserving the high shrimp quality is important," he said.

There is a glut in the global supply of white shrimp, otherwise known as the Vietnamese White Shrimp, causing a drop in prices.

"Many farmers around the world prefer to harvest this shrimp because it can be harvested very often and the yield can go up to 10 tonnes per hectare, compared to the Blue Shrimp which can only yield 4-5 tonnes per hectare," said Chuang.

"In Brunei, however, we are only allowed to harvest two types of shrimp, the Red Tiger Prawns and the Blue Shrimp," said Huang.

Chuang says that apart from the Blue Shrimp's health benefits, size is one of the major differences between the Vietnamese White Shrimp and the Blue Shrimp.

Chuang said the company's shrimp export is doing very well in Taiwan because of the quality of the shrimp and the Taiwanese' high spending power. "Regionally, most countries import the White Shrimp so we find that the best market was in Taiwan."

Semaun Holdings currently helps in the management of the majority of the farms and maintain the standard of the Blue Shrimp.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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