The future of shrimp farming has taken a leap forward.
A new technology uses long-range wide area network to provide real-time monitoring of critical water quality essential for shrimp survival.
Called the i-POND, farmers can remotely monitor the water quality of their ponds using smartphones, tablets or laptops wherever internet connection is available.
With the technology, shrimp growers make informed decisions swiftly, enhancing operational efficiency, ensuring optimal conditions for shrimp growth, and optimizing financial gains.
Traditional shrimp farmers rely on manual monitoring methods, such as visual observation or tools like thermometers, to assess water quality parameters. However, these conventional techniques are susceptible to human error and inconsistency, posing significant challenges for farm owners and operators.
The i-POND monitoring system developed by the Metals Industry Research and Development Center, Department of Science and Tecznology.
“With the i-POND, we can test on real time if there are significant changes in water quality,” said Renato Gaudencio Goco, owner of Aqua Tierra Farm where the first i-POND prototype was installed.
A technology demonstration on the relevance of i-POND was given to shrimp farm owners, operators, and academe in Oriental Mindoro.
“We need not wait anymore for shrimps to die and float to the surface, we can already proactively respond with corrective action,” said Goco, an engineer.
One of the farmers was hesitant. “It means a big investment, although in business one needs to take risks,” said Beatriz Masangcay, a shrimp farmer in Calapan City, capital of Oriental Mindoro.
As shrimp farming continues to play a vital role in the economic landscape of the country, more farmers are starting to recognize the need to adopt modern solutions to enhance farm efficiency and financial returns, Goco said
The integration of advanced monitoring solutions like i-POND empowers farmers with the tools and technologies they need in the aquaculture industry, he points out.
Today, Giant Black Tiger Shrimp, locally known as “sugpo,” contributes about 60 percent to total shrimp production in the country. The Pacific White Shrimp (suati) contributes 30 percent.
Freshwater prawn contributes less than 1 percent but its potential remains as new technologies for its production become available, according to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Shrimp Industry Road Map 2021-2040.
Currently, the country retains its spot among the top 10 shrimp producers in the world and fourth in Southeast Asia.
At least 90 percent of the total Philippine shrimp produce is consumed locally while less than 10 percent is exported.
The primary goals for the Philippine shrimp industry are: steady and sustainable shrimp production as well as a globally competitive shrimp export.
The DA estimates that P2.5 billion is needed to achieve these goals, most of it (35 percent) allocated to the National Comprehensive Shrimp Breeding Program that involves, among others, the use of genetics and genomics.
The second biggest allocation (31 percent) goes to processing, mostly for upgrading processing plants and for new cold storage facilities as seasonality of production is the biggest constraint in the industry.
Farm production gets a third (17 percent) of the P2.5-billion pie for investments focused on farm mechanization and infrastructure investments, and so on.
The i-POND will play a role in shrimp farm production.
