Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 47 December 2024

INTERVIEW FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2024 65 the early stages of automatic feeding in Ecuador back in 2016. At that time, manual feeding was the most common practice, which made it viable to feed shrimp only once or twice per day. This method was inefficient, as around 40% of the feed was wasted at the pond bottom, exacerbating bacterial problems and affecting survival. In essence, the farmers were underfeeding the shrimp and overfeeding the pond. Skretting recognised the importance of providing a holistic solution to shrimp farmers. In addition to excellent nutrition, it was crucial to provide it efficiently and at the right time for the shrimp. This required the use of certain technology and, consequently, a transformation process on the farms. Understanding this need, Skretting 360+ was launched for the first time in Ecuador as a programme aimed at transforming shrimp farming by focusing on three pillars: Precision Feeding, Farm Management, and Technical Support. Since its official launch in 2018, Skretting has been collaborating closely with shrimp farmers to maximise their farm results. The programme has successfully reduced feed conversion ratio by an average of 20% and production cost by 26%. Growth has increased by 25%, and survival rates by 14% on average, and for many customers their harvested biomass increased by more than 50%. In your opinion, what has been the biggest impact of Skretting 360+ on Ecuadorian shrimp farming? If you want to contemplate the overall impact of technology and farm protocol improvement in the industry, you need to look at the country's shrimp production and exports. From 2006 to 2013 (after the post-white spot syndrome epidemic) the average yearly exports growth was 8.7%. When the technification journey began and farmers started using nurseries, aeration, and automatic feeding, production experienced a positive impact. In 2014 – the year in which the automatic feeding journey started – exports increased an average of 18% since then until 2023. Skretting 360+ has been part of the journey, making significant contributions by developing farm protocols to technify the farms, and supporting farm personnel through training in nutrition, technology, water management, health management, and data analysis. The acquisition of Eruvaka by Nutreco, our parent company, played an important role in this transformative process. Do you have any plans to further develop the Skretting 360+ offering in Ecuador? Yes. We are excited about all the opportunities we have identified, and we will focus our efforts on the following areas: Feeding: The most advanced feeding technology Ecuador shrimp exports (Mio pounds) +8.7% (2006-2013) +14.6% (2006-2023) +17.8% (2014-2023) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

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