Shrimp · grower

Shrimp grower feed: cost per kilogram harvested is the number

Shrimp grower feed is the bulk of the vannamei cycle and the hardest stage to compare, because survival and feeding management move the result as much as feed price does. Buyers size volume from stocking density, survival and FCR, then compare offers on cost per kilogram harvested.

Submit a feed project request All feed stages

Who buys at this stage

Farms contracting a full cycle's feed against a pond stocking plan
Buyers comparing local and imported grow-out feed on landed cost
Operations modelling how a survival change alters feed volume and cost

Form and packaging

Pellet size steps with the changeover weights they correspond to
Water stability requirement in minutes
25 kg bags typically, with pallet, container and stuffing details for imports

Commercial feed types

Sinking grow-out pellets

Stepped pellet sizes through the cycle; water stability remains a specification point.

High-marine and reduced-marine diets

Where you are testing fishmeal replacement, price each option as a separate line.

What the RFQ must specify

Pond area, stocking density, survival assumption and target harvest weight
Expected FCR and number of cycles per year
Pellet size steps and water stability requirement
Quantity per shipment and committed annual volume
Delivery point, port and preferred Incoterm
Delivery schedule and acceptable lead time
Packaging and pallet or bulk handling constraints
Certifications and documents required with each shipment
Currency, price basis and how long the price must hold

What moves the cost

Fishmeal, fish oil and marine ingredient markets
Extrusion or pelleting energy cost
Sea freight, duties and port handling for imported feed
Survival, which changes biomass and therefore total feed volume
Feeding management, which often moves FCR more than the feed does

Storage and shelf life

Farm-gate storage in humid climates is the main risk — plan turnover in weeks
Pallets off the floor, ventilated, protected from rain and pests
Match shipment size to what the farm can genuinely store

Certifications and documents to ask for

GMP+ B1 / FAMI-QS or an equivalent feed safety scheme
HACCP plan and the mill's own quality manual
Certificate of analysis per batch (proximate analysis, moisture)
Mycotoxin, salmonella and heavy-metal testing regime
Traceability of raw materials and batch numbering
Non-GMO, halal or organic certification where your market requires it
Country-specific feed registration and import documentation

Supplier evaluation checklist

Installed capacity against your monthly tonnage, not just the annual total
Evidence of supplying the same stage and pellet form commercially
Batch consistency record and how out-of-spec batches are handled
Lead time from order to delivery, and behaviour during raw-material volatility
Price basis: fixed, indexed to a named raw material, or reviewed periodically
Delivery capability to your point, Incoterm and vehicle or vessel constraints
Technical support available on-site and the escalation route when results slip

Worked commercial example

Illustrative arithmetic on the inputs shown — not a benchmark, a price or a performance promise. Replace every figure with your own.

· 10 ha, 40 PL/m², 70% survival, 20 g harvest weight
· FCR 1.5, 3% handling and feeding loss
· Delivered grower feed 1,250 per tonne

→ Harvest biomass ≈ 560 t per cycle
→ Feed ≈ 865 t per cycle, ≈ 1.08 m at the price entered
→ Feed cost per kg harvested ≈ 1.93 — the number to compare offers on

Size the volume first

Other shrimp stages

Shrimp nursery feed Shrimp starter feed Shrimp finisher feed

Questions buyers ask

How do I budget shrimp feed for a cycle?

From pond area, stocking density, survival and target harvest weight you get harvest biomass; multiply by FCR and add a waste allowance for feed tonnes. The shrimp feed calculator runs this and shows the sensitivity to survival and FCR.

Why does survival matter for feed cost?

Survival sets the biomass that the feed is converted into. A lower survival means feed that has already been spent produces less harvest, which raises cost per kilogram harvested even when price per tonne is unchanged.

How does FeedMatch handle imported shrimp feed?

By specifying the requirement on a landed basis — Incoterm, port, duties, packaging and documentation — so local and imported offers can be compared honestly. Suppliers are approached only after a person reviews your requirement.

How the request is handled

You submit the requirement, a person at FeedMatch reviews it, and only then are qualified suppliers approached on your behalf. Offers come back normalised to the same delivered basis so they can actually be compared. No supplier receives your details automatically and no introduction happens without that review.

Submit a feed project request

FeedMatch Group is an independent, supplier-neutral procurement platform. We are not a feed manufacturer, trader, nutritionist, veterinarian or lender, and we do not guarantee prices, supply, FCR or animal performance. Figures on this page are indicative commercial planning ranges, not specifications. Every requirement is reviewed by a person before any supplier is approached, and no supplier receives your details automatically. Last reviewed 16 September 2026.