WITH the estimated 150 percent return of investment (ROI), the production of freshwater shrimp or "ulang" is indeed a lucrative industry that one may engaged in.

Marjun P. Villanueva, operations manager of Scampi Fresh Gensan, during his recent visit in Digos City for a conference, said ulang has a rapidly expanding market.

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"There is a large local market, several important niche markets such as restaurants that pay premium prices for freshwater prawn. Moreso, there is a parallel market for exports," he said.

Villanueva said based on their research, the global production of farmed freshwater prawns was a mere 1,300 tons per year in 1980. Now, which is thirty years later, it exceeds 450,000 tons per year, with a farm-gate value exceeding US$1.8 billion per year.

Annual global rate of expansion (ARP) for the decade was pegged at 27.4 percent for freshwater prawns but only 3.9 percent for marine shrimp.

Villanueva added that while there is a rapid global expansion of freshwater prawn farming, it still remains an untapped industry in the country where in fact technology on this is already well developed and ready for transfer and adaptation.

"Ulang is a high value specie. It is even sold at P300 per kilogram. Thus, one can really enjoy sizeable income out of ulang farming," he said.

Per record of the Scampi Fresh Gensan, for every kilogram of ulang produced, a farmer needs to invest P160.

The freshwater prawn farming is among the industries for development which the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao del Sur is eyeing on.