Filipe Naikaso 
A Ba prawn farmer has invested around $800,000 in the development of a state-of-the-art seawater breeding facility.
The new project is set to revolutionize the prawn farming industry in Fiji, addressing challenges such as high feed costs, inconsistent supply of post larvae, and low production yields.
Owner of the Purayil Investment Limited Apenisa Maracava highlights that Fiji currently imports between 300 to 500 tons of prawns annually, at a staggering cost of more than $20 million.
Maracava states with this new facility, he aims to reduce Fiji’s reliance on imported prawns, contributing to a significant decrease in the country’s import bill.
He says the setup will be in Rakiraki and it’s poised to expand the operations and bring fresh, locally produced prawns to the market.
“So we are in the final stages of securing a big project, which will see us build one of the biggest breeding facility in Fiji. So we can accommodate the PL needs or post larvae needs of the farmers. And also we are looking into a dedicated tank farming system that we are doing this, probably by May, next year we should be underway with the operation.”
The Ba farmer shares that one of the major hurdles facing local prawn farmers is the high cost of importing feed, which can reach as much as $56,000 per container.
Maracava suggests that farmers explore alternatives, such as producing their own post larvae and adopting innovative farming techniques like bio floc technology, which has been gaining traction globally for its ability to boost production and reduce costs.
The young farmer is also one of the top three winners from Fiji that competed in the Pacific Agri Innovate Competition 2024, in partnership with Business Assistance Fiji.
