The state has 165 farms with environmental permits and approximately 560 operating shrimp farms. Farms with less than one hectare do not need a permit.
Some production has been lost because some shrimp farms have switched to salt production for higher returns.
Itamar Rocha, president of the Brazilian Association of Shrimp Farmers (ABCC), states: "The main difficulties faced by farmers are obtaining environmental permits, the lack of financing and the currency devaluation."
"With the anti-dumping measure imposed by the USA on Brazilian shrimp in 2004 and a sharp devaluation of the dollar against the Brazilian currency, without financial compensation from the government, our product loses competitiveness in exports."
Mr Rocha said the industry has recovered from the bad flooding in 2008 and 2009, and in 2010 marketed 98 per cent of its production in the Brazilian market.
Farmed Shrimp Production Is Falling Annually
BRAZIL - Production of farmed shrimp in the state of Rio Grande do Norte has fallen to less than 20,000 metric tons annually, compared to 35,000 tons in 2003 and 2004.
