SEAT-KU @ Surat Shrimp Fair

The 23rd Surat Shrimp Fair was held during 23-24 February 2013 in Wangtai Hotel, Surat Thani, South of Thailand. During the session on Sustainability in Shrimp Farming, Dr Kriengkrai Satapornvanit, SEAT-KU Principal Investigator, presented the SEAT project objectives and activities conducted in Thailand, particularly those relevant to the shrimp industry and Surat Thani in particular. SEAT project also presented posters on project activities, and on the initial results of the on-going work being done together with the Surat Thani Shrimp Club on the potential of shrimp sludge as a nutrient source for other crops.

Surat Thani is one of the provinces where the SEAT project conducted its various surveys on the shrimp value chains, mainly among shrimp producers and a number of other stakeholders as key informants. The other provinces included in the surveys included a few of the large farms in the other southern provinces (Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Satun and Songkhla), as well as those in the eastern region (Chanthaburi and Chachoengsao). A transitional survey is being planned during the next few months among the same respondents in these areas to determine and evaluate changes in farm management and sustainability perceptions.

The shrimp fair in Surat Thani featured presentations by various individuals (from both the government and private sectors), who provided information on current issues and shared experiences on shrimp farming, especially those related to disease (mainly EMS), government policies and regulations, farm management techniques, sustainability and social responsibility.

Input and service providers for the shrimp industry also held an exhibition of their products to promote them, and to interact with existing and potential customers. SEAT-KU also followed up on potential research collaborators among the SMEs for the on-going action research activities.

Dr Key, Dr Putth (DOF), Dr F Murray (Stirling), Ms Siriwan (DoF & Stirling Alumna)

Talking about PCR-AMP & Electronic Nose

Talking about PCR Kit for WSSV etc, Water quality test kits

PhD students from SEAT-University of Stirling (UK) assisted by SEAT-KU Thai staff and local student assistants also interviewed participants to pilot test transitional survey instruments and conduct a mini-survey on institutional aspects.

Before the shrimp fair closed, the participants agreed to a consensus document which outlines strategies on how they can work together to combat EMS and other diseases plaguing the shrimp industry in Thailand.

Crops produced in shrimp farms using shrimp sludge