Village in N China's Shanxi develops shrimp farming on saline, alkaline land

A village once plagued by saline and alkaline soil in north China's Shanxi Province has successfully developed shrimp farming, bringing wealth to its residents.

Xikaizhang village, Kaizhang township, Yongji city of Shanxi is buzzing with vibrance, as many aquatic product dealers from neighboring provinces such as Shaanxi and Henan come here to purchase Whiteleg shrimps.

A shrimp farmer works in a greenhouse in Xikaizhang village, Yongji city of north China's Shanxi Province. (Photo/Li Xiangdong)

The village had previously tried to make use of the saline and alkaline land, which covers a third of over 9,000 mu (600 hectares) of fields, but failed. The turning point came in 2021 when the village discovered that the water in this saline-alkali area resembles seawater, which provides an ideal condition to develop aquaculture. The township government and a fodder company of Tongwei Co., Ltd., which engages in the production and distribution of feed products in China, then joined hands to try shrimp farming on a plot covering 3.3 mu.

Through multiple trials, the first batch of shrimps reached 13 cm in length, which is a marketable size, in June 2022, and was quickly sold out.

The fodder company then came up with a more ambitious plan and established an aquaculture company. With a total investment of 500 million yuan ($68.63 million), the company aimed to build a farming base covering 3,000 mu. During the first phase, the farming area was expanded to 1,000 mu in half a year, with 1,000 aquaculture greenhouses built in the village.

“The yield of a greenhouse may be about 1,000 kg. And the shrimps can be harvested twice a year, with the shrimps being sold for at least 50 yuan per kg. This means the annual net profit of shrimp cultivation of each greenhouse can be from 60,000 to 80,000 yuan. This is probably an underestimation,” said an official of the village, who added that this industry created over 150 jobs, increasing labor income by over 3 million yuan.