The ever-expanding shrimp industry demands skilled human resources with solid knowledge and skills. There is a need for this since there are numerous crucial elements in shrimp farming, from technical matters, tool maintenance, feeding, to farm administration. Farm owners, especially those who are implementing intensive and super intensive systems, will undoubtedly be overwhelmed if they do all of these tasks by themselves.
Personnel in shrimp farms
Given the many crucial elements in shrimp farming, the manpower or personnel needed also varies. Here's the explanation:
Farm technician
Farm technicians are personnel whose job is to ensure that all technical cultivation tasks, from preparation to cycle transition, go without a hitch. They are in charge of setting up the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), planning feeding programs, developing disease prevention strategies, controlling water quality parameters, and so on. In addition, they also manage field crews, conduct routine evaluations, and create cultivation reports to be submitted to farm owners.
A technician must have strong knowledge about the technicalities of shrimp farming, including being able to analyze laboratory test findings. In addition to the hard skills necessary for shrimp farming, technicians must also have certain soft skills like good communication and team management skills.
Farm administrator
As the name suggests, the farm administrator is responsible for managing all administrative matters of the farm. They handle farm documents, take inventory, set up work schedules, and communicate with external parties, for example suppliers. Suppliers are people who buy harvested shrimp and distribute them to various places, including processing companies where the harvested shrimp are processed into frozen shrimp products.
In addition, they handle the farm's financial matters, which include helping with budget planning and monitoring, preparing payments, keeping track of income and expenses, and creating regular financial reports. For this reason, a farm administrator needs to be meticulous, have good communication skills, and know how to operate administration tools.
Mechanic
Mechanics are in charge of managing and maintaining farm tools and machinery, such as generators, dynamos, and paddle wheels. When these tools show a sign of malfunction, they are also responsible for repairing them.
Therefore, a mechanic must be knowledgeable of electrical systems, engines and pumps. Because this job is closely tied to crucial technical concerns, it also requires experience as a mechanic, factory worker, or with training corresponding to that.
Farm worker
The farm workers are in charge of carrying out farm operations after receiving instructions from the technician. Their tasks include siphoning, harvesting shrimp, changing water, and so on. They are also responsible for cleaning and maintaining farm equipment.
As a farm worker, technical cultivation skills are certainly needed. They must also be able to work both independently and in a team as well as be able to perform physical labor.
Feeder
Feeders are farm workers who are specifically responsible for feeding. Following the technician's instructions, they also make sure that the feed is spread evenly in the pond and with a feeding tray, they check whether all the feed given is eaten by the shrimp.
Since they are still part of the farm workers, a feeder must be able to work both independently and in a team. Understanding shrimp feed management will also help them in carrying out their duties.
JALA is ready to help all shrimp farm personnel
The duties of each shrimp farm personnel vary, ranging from technical management, administration, mechanical, general operations, and feeding. Each personnel needs to be capable of performing their duties with the necessary knowledge and skills.
To make it more efficient, shrimp farming personnel can improve their skills in adopting digital technology. According to Li & Li (2020), farm personnel need to have the ability to use technology to support the growth of the aquaculture industry.
In light of that, JALA is ready to help shrimp farm personnel in performing their duties through two technological solutions: JALA App and JALA Baruno. JALA App allows technicians, farm workers, and feeders to record and monitor more than 40 cultivation parameters and examine the analysis. Farm administrators can also generate farm financial reports and manage inventory conveniently using JALA App. Information obtained from JALA App can be used to make more precise and accurate decisions.
Meanwhile, JALA Baruno makes it easier to measure the parameters of water quality in ponds on a daily basis. As a multiparameter measurement device, JALA Baruno is capable of measuring pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, and ORP at once in up to 30 ponds. The measurement results can later be accessed at any time and from anywhere on JALA App.
These two solutions from JALA are designed to help shrimp farm personnel perform their duties more efficiently. Let's start sustainable and productive cultivation with JALA!
References
Li, C., & Li, D. (2020). Intelligent aquaculture. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 51(4): 808–814.
