Economic feasibility of polyculture of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in brackishwater ponds

Abstract

The polyculture of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) with milkfish (Chanos chanos) has been practiced in the Philippines, bit little is known about the possible polyculture of the shrimp with the tilapias in spite of increasing consumer acceptance for tilapias in the country. Shrimp monoculture, two rates of Oreochromis niloticus monoculture, and two polyculture treatments were compared for economic feasibility. The stocking combination of 6,000 ha^-1 shrimp with 4,000 ha^-1 tilapia generated the highest total production and net income with 283.57 kg ha^-1 and P11,849 ha^-1, respectively. Two crops per year provided a 70% return on investment and 1.2 years payback. A sensitivity analysis indicated that shrimp polyculture with tilapia is profitable up to a 20% decrease in the selling price of both species.