An e-traceability system launched by WorldFish in January will enable consumers of shrimp farmed in Bangladesh to trace it back to the producer.
The system, including a new mobile application, is part of a five-month pilot to try out digital traceability in the shrimp sector under the USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) project.
As part of the pilot project, 300-500 farmers will be connected to a collection centre at Borodanga, southern Bangladesh, where the bulk of the country’s shrimp exports are produced.
Field staff will collect and record the management practices of each farm using a mobile application developed by WorldFish and US technology firm SourceTrace on the eServices Everywhere (ESE) platform. Information will include the hatchery that supplied the post larvae and the sources of feed.
The data can then be monitored online by wholesaler buyers, who will be able to access information about every stage of production, processing and distribution, from hatchery to harvest.
The purpose of the trial is to test the feasibility and effectiveness of using an app to establish a digital traceability system through the shrimp value chain.
Results of the pilot, ending in May 2016, will be presented to a diverse group of stakeholders in the shrimp sector. If there is involvement from shrimp processors and demand for e-traceability from international buyers, the system will be rolled out to more than 200,000 shrimp farmers in Bangladesh.
