On 30 November 2018, NSTDA President, Dr. Narong Sirilertworakul, and Chai Pattana Foundation Secretary-General, Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, launched the collaboration between the two organizations by signing a Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU sets out the collaboration on the demonstration of technologies related to shrimp cultivation at the Tha Khai Land Development Project of Chai Pattana Foundation located in Chacheongsao Province.
Established under the initiative of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Chai Pattana Foundation aims to provide solutions to problems affecting the Thai people through various development projects, one of which is the agricultural development. The Land Development Project in Tha Khai Sub-district was set up to study and experiment on the closed system of shrimp farming, parallel to conducting farming to find suitable varieties of plants for brackish water areas.
NSTDA research centers, especially BIOTEC, have been conducting R&D in aquaculture biotechnology, ranging from breeding, to natural feed supplements and immune-stimulants, to cultivation system and diseases. The work has been done in collaboration with various agencies and shrimp farmers associations, leading to the application of technologies and innovations in the aquaculture industry in Thailand.
In the initial stage, the collaboration will focus on good farm management of shrimp cultivation in earthen pond by balancing the water quality and disease surveillance. The collaboration with Chai Pattana Foundation is a mechanism to demonstrate the technologies developed by Thai researchers and make technologies accessible to farmers.