Tilapia Farming in Thailand: an Excellent IMTA Case Study

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) held the Southeast Asia Aquaculture Roadshow event in 3 countries: Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Not just attending the seminar, the speakers were also given the chance to visit two of the many tilapia farms in Bangkok. There, the group learns about tilapia farming practices, which also incorporate the Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system in their operation.

Amorn Luengnaruemitchai, Managing Director of Manit Genetics Co. Ltd. Was, one of the speakers at the USGC event that gave the initiative to bring the group to the two farms. As information, Manit Group is one of the comprehensive aquaculture organizations in Thailand with multiple operations in the aquaculture supply chain. One of their operations is breeding and hatching high­quality Nile and red tilapia fry/fingerlings.

Tilapia Farm Management

Visiting the two tilapia farms was an interesting unplanned agenda and a nice break between the bustling event schedule. While we visited, the owner of the farm and his team welcomed us and explained their operation thoroughly with the help of Mrs. Daranee Seguin as the translator. On the first farm, the farmer explained that they started stocking their nursery ponds with 0,3 grams fry obtained from Manit Group. He told us how he stocked his ponds with Manit’s fry because they trusted the company, having worked together for a long time while running their 20 ponds farm. After three months, the tilapia fry grew to 100 grams and then transported to their grow-out ponds for six months, where they will grow up to 1,2-1,3 kg MBW and be harvested. The transfer from nursery to grow out itself is no easy feat. He told us that the nursery pond is 3 hours away and has zero salinity. To transport the fingerlings, they must use big tanks with oxygen injected to keep the fish alive. The second farm, however, didn’t use a nursery system; he stocks using 1 gram fry and harvests them at 800 grams after eight months.

Before applying the two-stage system (nursery and grow out), the first farmer claims that the average survival rate (SR) is lower. One of the reasons is due to bird predation. He further explains that when he was still using the direct stocking method, growing the fish to the desired size took up to one year. Now that he has applied the nursery system for all his ponds, he claims that he can get 75-80% SR in his nursery stage and 80-90% SR post nursery in his production ponds depending on the weather; usually, more diseases and stresses come with hotter weather.

Despite having a tropical climate, some weather conditions in Thailand are not well suited for growing tilapia. In general, tilapia prefer colder temperatures to live well. The farmers explained that the temperature ranges from 21°C when it is considered cold and 32°C when it is hot. As mentioned, the hot season is when many diseases hit; one of the most common diseases in tilapia farming is streptococcosis, caused by the streptococcus bacteria. Another disadvantage of the hot season is the effect on feed intake. Typically, the fish don’t eat as much in the hotter season, further staggering its growth. For those reasons, farmers in Thailand prefer to stock around August when it is cold.

Tilapia farmers in Thailand typically stock 500 pcs/rai in their ponds. But they are now starting to test stocking with higher density up to around 800pcs/rai. However, the farmers noticed that they now have a higher size variation at harvest than when they stocked less. As for their pond size, their nursery ponds and grow out ponds are actually the same size. Their ponds typically are 20 rai, or about 3,2 hectares per pond, with a depth of 1,5 meters. However, the difference is that the nursery ponds are equipped with lines on top of them to fend off birds.

The farmers’ feeding methods in tilapia farms are also fascinating. Because the ponds are so big, farmers must use rafts or boats to distribute their feed manually. While the group was there, the farmer demonstrated feeding by throwing the feeds from the side, and we were amazed by how many fishes flocked near to get some food. Another way similar to the shrimp farming industry is by employing auto feeders in the pond. Some tilapia farmers use mechanical auto feeders that distribute feed in intervals. Still, the most traditional way to stagger feed distribution is by incorporating “feed wells” in some parts of the ponds. These wells are then filled with feed so the fish can nibble and take some when hungry.

Both farms that we visited use commercial feed in their operation. Coincidentally, both farms use Manit’s high­quality feed, though they use it more later due to its higher price than other commercial feed. Farmer1 uses more of Manit’s high­quality feed because he believes it gives them better performance. He argues that by doing this, the fish can grow faster and reach the target weight in just five months, cutting the cycle by one whole month. However, some farms, like the second farm, combine commercial and natural feeds. Instead of feeding its crop with commercial feed throughout the cycle, the second farm also gives rice bran during some feeding hours to cut costs.

For comparison, lower quality feed in Thailand costs around 350 Bath per 20 kg bag, while medium quality feed costs about 535 baht. Finally, the feed sold by Manit is priced at around 660 baht per bag. This price variation is also due to the crude protein (CP) content inside the feed, with the lower quality having only 15.5% CP, the medium with 25% CP, and the higher quality feed having 30% CP. Despite the high price point, both farmers still decided to use the more expensive feed due to its proven result, starting to use it when the fish is at 700 grams. They add that when using other feed, they can only get fish growth of around 300 grams/month, while when using Manit’s feed, they can get up to 500 grams of growth per month.

Polyculture with Shrimp and Other Fishes

In both tilapia farms, the owner incorporates other species in their ponds. The first farm grows five species in its ponds: tilapia, common carp, bighead carp, rohu, and vannamei, with tilapia as the main crop. The second farm is similar to the first, but he adds one more species to the mix: the milkfish.

In the farmer’s explanation, they incorporate multiple species to create a self-supporting balanced ecosystem in their ponds as well as to generate more profit. For example, the common carp stocked is also used to clean the pond bottom due to their behavior. Then, the bighead carp is used to clean the middle part of the water column. The last example is the vannamei, which they put inside to help cash flow and maximize profit.

For the carps, the farmers usually harvest them at the end of the cycle. The bighead carp, for example, can grow up to 5-6 kg in a year. They generally gather the pond by pumping out the water, including the fish, and catching them at the end of the pump. On average, the first farm can get up to 1 tonne of tilapia per rai and about 500 kg of other fish per rai. If calculated with the overall production, the FCR in this system goes just below 1.

The most exciting part of this system is how they stock the vannamei. The farmers stock them gradually. The first farmer, for example, stocks vannamei at 10.000 PLs/ rai in the first month. He then keeps stocking more vannamei at 5.000 Pls/rai each month. However, by the end of the second month after the first stocking, the farmer starts to harvest the vannamei using net traps and underwater lights. By doing this, he can get 10-20 kg each time and sell it to the local market. But he has to stop stocking two months before the tilapia’s final harvest to ensure the shrimp grow to a marketable size at the end of the cycle.

In this IMTA system, vannamei is used as the profit driver. It is believed that growing vannamei with other fishes can reduce the occurrence of shrimp diseases. That way, the farmers can have a more stable shrimp harvest compared to if they are doing monoculture. The second farm we visited was further supported by retelling his experience on how if shrimp harvest is good, it can cover all of the feed cost for that cycle; so, the rest of the fish that will be harvested becomes profit.

Tilapia Market

When harvest time comes, the farmers will call the harvesting team to grade and weigh their crops and transport them to the target market. Currently, the local market price in Thailand is stable and tends to increase. At the visit, the price for 1 kg tilapia at farmgate was 45 baht. This price applies to tilapia ranging from 700 gr up to 1,5 kg per fish. However, above 1,5 kg up to 2kg per fish, the price drops down to 35 baht. Above 2 kg, the farmers wouldn’t be able to sell because the market for that size doesn’t exist.

The tilapia buyers will then have to differentiate between the bigger fish and the smaller ones. The bigger ones must be sold to processors to become fillets, while the smaller fish goes to the local market. All other species other than tilapia generally go to the local market.

Another factor that needs to be taken into account when selling tilapia to the market is geosmin. Geosmin is a compound that gives the flesh of the fish an earthy and musty odor when eaten. This is a problem when selling the fish to the processing since they usually reject these shipments when found. However, the locals are now used to this smell, so it no longer becomes problematic. The ones who mind the smell usually won’t buy tilapia, but the ones who can tolerate it are the primary consumers since they already came to expect this.

THE CRUST - UTE, RIZKY