Egypt’s desert shrimp farming pioneer

Original Story Published by: Yomna Elshamy, www.thefishsite.com
Photo Source: Courtesy of thefishsite.com

(Above) Dr Elkady holding whiteleg shrimp cultivated at Delta Farm

Can you briefly describe your aquaculture career?

I obtained a doctorate and a master’s degree in aquaculture, but upon graduation, I worked as the production manager of the Al-Amana Feed Factory until 2013. Then I worked in tilapia farms for my family in Kafr El-Sheikh. I have been the director of Delta tilapia and shrimp farm in Wadi El Natrun since 2019.

What inspired you to become a shrimp farmer?

We were looking for an alternative to tilapia culture, and shrimp was the ideal solution. What helped us were the factors available at our Wadi El Natrun farm, such as the salinity of the water and the appropriate climate for vannamei shrimp culture.

What were the main challenges to overcome when you set the farm up?

The first aquaculture season there in 2019 was dedicated to Nile tilapia culture. We started trialling vannamei shrimp farming in 2021 in ​​two ponds and the success of the trial was an incentive for us to convert more of the farm to shrimp production, and perhaps move purely to shrimp in the future.

A key challenge was to search for a place with a water source with a suitable salinity for aquaculture, which was also close to the markets. After that, the design of the farm itself, in order to save energy, adjust production intensity, improve feed conversion ratios and ensure the best waste disposal methods.