The UEB (Unidad Empresarial de Base) of CALISUR (La Camaronera del Litoral Sur), the primary cultivator and exporter of shrimp in Cuba, is gearing up for an ambitious target of collecting 1,400 tons of the precious crustacean this year. While this falls considerably short of the historical record of 2,652 tons set in 2018, it represents a significant improvement over the meager contribution of the previous year, 2023.

Edgardo Bueno Pérez, the head of production at the El Mango facility in the municipality of Río Cauto, Granma province, acknowledged the challenges faced in 2023 due to a lack of feed, affecting the shrimp population. However, he expressed optimism for the year ahead, stating, “We start 2024 in better conditions than the previous calendar, with three farms planted and part of the necessary food.”

In 2023, the facility could only secure enough feed to produce 210 tons of shrimp. However, an additional 90 tons were obtained through extensive farming, a method involving the reduction of population density in specific areas. Moreover, the UEB diversified its activities, venturing into productive pursuits such as self-consumption, eel cultivation, hamburger and croquette production, and raising tilapia for sale to the public.

Despite the challenges of 2023, CALISUR’s efficiency stood out, earning the UEB the distinction of being ranked as the best among the five entities of its kind in the country. Mario Sariol Romero, the national production director of the Shrimp Farming Company, commended CALISUR, saying, “Although the quantity obtained in 2023 was the lowest in the history of CALISUR, the great efficiency they achieved is comforting.”

CALISUR boasts an impressive infrastructure comprising a hundred ponds, 957.9 hectares of water bodies, and an industry capable of processing 12 tons of crustaceans per day. Currently employing nearly 500 workers, this significant contributor to the Cuban shrimp industry traces its roots back to December 19, 1986, when it received an official inauguration visit from the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.