Shrimp Farm Buyer's Guide & Tender Preparation
Commercial shrimp farming has three viable modern archetypes: intensive pond, biofloc, and indoor RAS. This buyer's guide gives investors and operators the framework to specify, tender and evaluate any of the three — without depending on a single supplier's playbook.
1. Pick the archetype, then design
Extensive pond (5–15 t/ha) has the lowest CAPEX but the highest disease and weather risk. Semi-intensive (15–40 t/ha) with modest aeration and partial water exchange is the workhorse of most producing countries. Intensive biofloc (40–120 t/ha) requires disciplined water chemistry and reliable oxygen. Indoor RAS (200–500+ t/ha equivalent) is the highest CAPEX, highest control, longest payback path.
2. Biosecurity is the design driver
For any project intending to sell into export markets, WSSV, EMS and EHP have destroyed more equity than any market swing. Design biosecurity into the site layout, not as a bolt-on: separate access, footbaths, disinfected water intake, SPF/SPR PL sourcing, and single-batch stocking discipline.
3. Aeration and oxygen sizing
Rule of thumb: 1 HP paddlewheel per 400–500 kg of standing biomass in semi-intensive systems. Intensive biofloc requires diffused aeration + emergency LOX backup. Undersized aeration is the single most common design failure in intensive shrimp — insist on N+1 redundancy for oxygen and power.
4. Post-larvae (PL) supply chain
PL logistics kill or make a farm. Contract two independent SPF/SPR hatcheries in different countries. Ask the hatchery and logistics provider for expected transport losses and build that assumption into the stocking plan. Require certificate of analysis per batch. Do not accept 'first available' PL for a $10M+ farm — write PL specifications into the operational manual.
5. Feed and FCR realism
Ask each bidder and feed supplier to state the eFCR their plan assumes for your system and conditions — it changes a lot between pond, biofloc and indoor systems. Feed is usually the largest operating cost, so qualifying two feed suppliers is worth considering at commercial scale.
6. Processing and cold chain
Processed shrimp products usually sell for more per kg than whole shrimp, so decide early whether processing is part of the project. Include a right-sized processing line in the CAPEX from day one, or contract a co-packer with binding capacity. Cold chain from pond-side to port must be modeled and priced.
7. Tender split for shrimp
Typical procurement split: (i) civil & pond works, (ii) aeration & oxygen, (iii) intake/discharge & water treatment, (iv) hatchery/PL contract, (v) feed contracts, (vi) processing. Bundle only what shares supplier competence.
Red flags to stop a tender
- Single PL supplier with no backup contract
- Aeration sized on 'average' rather than peak biomass
- No emergency oxygen or standby power
- Farm design copied from a different climate zone
- Biosecurity treated as an operational SOP instead of a site design driver
- FCR guarantees below 1.1 for pond systems
Size it before you tender
FAQ
Supplier-neutral by design
FishMatch Group is not a reseller. We do not represent any single supplier. Every tender we support runs on a no-names basis until the Owner selects a shortlist.
Short answer
What do buyers need to know about Shrimp Farm Buyer Guide?
Shrimp Farm Buyer Guide affects both project cost and project risk, so it belongs in the specification stage rather than the purchasing stage. This page sets out what commercial buyers assess, what typically drives cost and lead time, and which questions to put to suppliers before signing. You can turn any of it into a confidential RFQ in a few minutes.
- Who it is for:
- Investors, operators and project developers specifying commercial systems
- Cost drivers:
- Capacity, water source, energy price, permitting and logistics
- Next step:
- Turn the requirement into a confidential RFQ
- Cost to buyers:
- No fee charged to the buyer