Preparatory work on Hubu Aquafarms, which will specialize in the rearing of prawns for export, have been advancing despite delays, according to Director Simon Shaw.
In a recent interview with this publication, Shaw explained that the hatchery is completed and they are now lining the ponds in which the prawns will be grown.
While they are advancing work on the infrastructure, he said they have faced a bit of a delay in completing the lining of the ponds due to poor weather conditions.
Hurricane Ian also delayed their first shipment of larvae, which was scheduled to arrive here on Tuesday. They are now expecting the shipment of larvae to arrive in Guyana by the end of this week.
On the technological side of things, Shaw stated that they have already imported drones to assist in the feeding of their stocks when they transition to grown prawns.
With this project and the use of organic harvesting, the operators hope to eventually net 30% of the UK’s prawns market.
Additionally, Shaw explained that Hubu Aquafarms is also providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture in the development of prawn farms in Berbice. The farms will be operated at Rose Hall, Canje, in Region Six and at Onverwagt, in Region Five.
“What we have done is we have set out a new shrimp farm in this area… designed the ponds and we have done the cash flow and risk flow for both farms for the government,” Shaw said as he explained that their Indonesian workers will be assisting in training locals to work on the project.
The government-sponsored farms will start off on ten-acre plots of land for the trials and would be expanded once they are found to be viable. Government recently received bids for the construction of the two prawn farms, estimated to cost over $285 million in total.
The company, through the Guyana Barbados food terminal, is also assisting the island in setting up a small-scale aqua farm. Shaw stated that they will be sending one of their workers to the country to assist in the setting up of the farm. “It’s an agreement between the two governments and we were just asked to help them. So we’re going to supply larvae to Barbados. Hopefully we’ll supply them the feed, and we’ll supply one of our Indonesian guys to go and get it started. But what they’re doing in Barbados is much, much smaller,” Shaw added. In a previous interview, it was reported that the company has some 600 acres to execute its vision, however, they will commence operations on only 10 acres of land. The ponds at Hubu have already been constructed but inactivity have caused them to be filled with vegetation. Global shipping constraints was one factor that delayed preparatory works and Shaw related it was not feasible for them to commence those works when materials were being delayed.
At the hatchery, Shaw explained, they will not only breed larvae for their own use but to retail to other farmers who wish to enter the market.
They will also grow their own plankton and algae to feed the larvae. The breeding conditions at the hatchery will be closely monitored and controlled to ensure ph levels are on par with industry standards. The company will rear different breeds of prawns and shrimp, such as the Giant River Prawns, the White Leg Shrimp and the Asian Tiger Prawns.
Once operations are up and running, the developers will be building an additional hatchery for other species of prawns and eventually will move the hatchery to Hubu. “It’ll be a much bigger hatchery. The idea is that we want to provide larvae to other farmers so they can start up because the most complicated thing is running the hatchery and it is most capital intensive. So once we’ve got the hatchery running, we’ll be able to basically supply the farmers the larvae and will be able to supply them the feed,” Shaw explained. While it is their vision to become a major exporter to Europe and compete with producers from countries in the Caribbean and South America, the first harvest will be supplied to the local market. If the company remains on schedule they will be able to have their first harvest by September. Asked if there is an export market for Guyana to enter at this stage, Shaw responded in the affirmative since their method of rearing will be organic. Organic produce is in high demand globally. He added that they will not be using any form of chemical and Gene Modified Organisms (GMOs) to breed and rear their stocks.
