ANALYSING FINANCIAL EFICIENEY AND ESTIMATING ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF WHITELEG SHRIMP (litopenaeus vannamei) FARMING MODEL APPLYING THE ASC SHRIMP STANDARD

Abstract

This study was conducted on 39 whiteleg shrimp farming households, encompassing 75 ponds operating under two farming models: Earthen ponds (EPFM) and plastic-lined ponds (PPFM), within a cooperative in Dong Hai district, Bac Lieu province. The research compared financial and energy efficiency between EPFM and PPFM models based on the Aquaculture Stewardship Council standards in 2023. Data collected included production costs, revenues, profits, and energy consumption. Results indicated that PPFM consumed 29,396 ± 10,763 MJ per 1,000 m², equivalent to 6,904 ± 3,433 MJ per ton of shrimp at the farm gate, which was 4.42 and 1.48 times higher, respectively, than EPFM. Feed costs represented the highest proportion of total production costs in both models, accounting for 80.4% in PPFM (301,026,396 ± 118,027,958 VND/1,000 m²/crop) and 82.6% in EPFM (173,025,132 ± 58,520,839 VND/1,000 m²/crop). Although PPFM achieved 1.74 times higher revenue compared to EPFM, financial analysis revealed that EPFM generated higher profit per unit of investment. The differences in energy consumption and cost-efficiency between the two models were statistically significant. These findings offer essential insights for aquaculture investors and policymakers, highlighting the need to balance economic benefits with environmental impacts—particularly energy use—when selecting shrimp farming systems.