MOFCOM provides a grant worth TND 4.6 million dinars for the Shrimp Farm Project

On February 29, 2012, the Chinese Government and the Government of Tunisia signed an exchange of letters for the provision of a grant from the Chinese Government for Tunisia's Shrimp Farm Project. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) was the source of funding. It provided TND 4.6 million dinars in total for the project.

The purpose of the project was to build a shrimp farm in the town of Melloulech (M'loulèche o rملولش) within the Mahdia Governorate. The project site was located in a swamp (sebkha). It occupied an area of ​​about 4,000 square meters.

The grounds included shrimp nurseries, breeding farms, dormitories for staff, warehouses, cafeterias, roads, fences, and supporting equipment and materials.

Upon completion, it was envisioned that the farm would undertake shrimp breeding experiments, trial production, and training activities.

Guangdong Agriculture and Animal Husbandry International Cooperation Corporation was the general contractor responsible for implementation. Beijing Dayang Bihai Fishery Planning and Design Institute served as a project design subcontractor.

After discussions with the Technical Center of Aquaculture, an agency under Tunisia's Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries and the beneficiary of this project, the project design and project implementation contract were signed on August 28, 2012. The farm was originally expected to be completed and put into operation in 2013.

However, the construction of the farm was ultimately completed and handed over to the local authorities on July 24, 2014. The same day, the one-year technical cooperation period began; it would be completed. The project completion ceremony was held on October 11, 2014. The project handover certificate was issued on November 4, 2014.

The farm grew whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. At the start of 2015, about 580,000 shrimp larvae had been released to carry out breeding experiments. After 120 days of management, the shrimp developed normally, all reaching commercial specifications.

On May 17, 2015, a shrimp harvesting ceremony was held at the project site; a total of 1880 kg of shrimp were harvested. The average yield was 27,330 kg per hectare, and the highest yield was 34,000 kg per hectare.