Single raw black tiger shrimp on a pale background

Representative photo. Your order is made to your specification by a verified seller. Photo: “Penaeus monodon” by self, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Black tiger shrimp exporter in Bangladesh

Buy through Roptan, your black tiger shrimp exporter in Bangladesh. Send the form, count, glaze and quantity: we source from a verified plant, have your lot tested, weigh thawed samples and ship it frozen.

Verified sellers
Checked before it ships
Delivered by Roptan

Prefer to deal with suppliers yourself? Post it on the requirement board

Buying black tiger shrimp in Bangladesh

Black tiger shrimp is Penaeus monodon, bagda in Bangla, the second most widely farmed prawn species after whiteleg shrimp. In Bangladesh it grows in ponds in Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira, about 61 percent of national shrimp output on a Department of Fisheries figure published in 2019. Importers, wholesalers and caterers buy it frozen, whole or peeled.

A black tiger shrimp exporter in Bangladesh is judged on two points: the cartons hold the weight and count you paid for, and the shrimp is free of banned drugs. Roptan sources from verified plants, writes count, glaze and additive limits into the order, has your lot tested and checks cartons before the reefer is sealed.

Kinds of black tiger shrimp

Head-on, shell-on

The whole shrimp, frozen as harvested, so a dark or loose head shows freshness. Choose it for restaurants that cook shrimp whole.

Headless, shell-on

Head removed, shell kept, so more of each carton is meat. Choose it for further processing or grilling in the shell.

Peeled, with or without the tail

Shell and sand vein removed, the tail left on for presentation or taken off. Choose it for ready-to-cook retail packs and catering.

Block frozen or IQF

Block frozen shrimp are frozen together in one block; IQF shrimp are frozen piece by piece, so a portion can be taken out without thawing the rest. IQF suits retail, block suits processors.

How to brief a black tiger shrimp exporter in Bangladesh

Form and count: Name the form, then the count with its unit, per pound or per kilogram, and the spread you accept inside a grade.
Glaze and net weight: Agree glaze as a share of gross weight and a net weight without it. Under US rules, ice sold as shrimp is adulteration and misbranding.
Sulphite: Say whether you accept it. EU limits for this shrimp family are likely set by count per kilogram; in the US, 10 mg/kg or more must be declared.
Phosphate and gel: State whether phosphate soaking is allowed, since it raises sale weight, and ask for a check for injected gel.
Residue panel: Name chloramphenicol, nitrofuran metabolites and tetracycline at least, the drugs EU rules once made Bangladeshi exporters test every consignment for, and add what your importer's plan requires.
Pack and temperature: Box weight, boxes per master carton, label language, lot code, and a core temperature at loading usually of -18 °C or colder.

Rules and papers for shrimp shipments

FIQC health certificate: Issued by the Department of Fisheries' inspection offices, which also license plants under the Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control) Act 2020.
EU residue control plans: Countries shipping food of animal origin to the EU must run residue plans for drugs, pesticides and contaminants under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1644.
US seafood HACCP (21 CFR Part 123): Every foreign fish processor needs a written HACCP plan, which the US importer must verify; without that assurance product can be denied entry.
US Seafood Traceability Program: Shrimp is covered under 50 CFR 300.324: the importer of record reports the farm, so the plant must trace each lot to its ponds.

What moves the price of black tiger shrimp

Count: price is quoted per count, and females grow larger than males, so the sex mix of a harvest sets which grades a plant can offer.
Form: every step from head-on to peeled removes weight, so peeled shrimp uses more raw shrimp per kilogram.
Plant demand: when south-west plants, ice mills and depots closed in 2020, one study found farm prices fell sharply.
Disease: white spot outbreaks, mainly March to August, push farmers into early harvests and change the sizes on offer.
Glaze, soaking and testing: extra glaze lowers the real shrimp per kilogram; per-lot residue tests add cost.

Lead times and delivery

There is no fixed lead time for black tiger shrimp. Shrimp already in a plant's cold store ships soonest; a custom pack with printed cartons waits for artwork approval and a harvest of the right sizes. Lab turnaround and reefer space at Chattogram add days. Roptan confirms the dates and the minimum order in the quote.

For hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and processors in Bangladesh, Roptan arranges refrigerated trucks with a temperature record from plant to store. You receive a packing list by count and lot, the lab reports you ordered and a VAT invoice (Mushak 6.3). Thawed or short cartons are noted on receipt and settled with the seller.

Buying black tiger shrimp for export

Frozen black tiger shrimp is quoted FOB Chattogram in a reefer, or CFR or CIF on request. Documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, FIQC health certificate, certificate of origin or a REX statement for EU GSP, and the lot's lab reports. For US entry, the plant supplies the farm details the importer must report.

What we check for this order

Plant licence and approvalsThe plant's FIQC licence, its HACCP plan, and its number on your market's approved list where one exists.
Residue report for your lotAn accredited lab tests your lot for the drugs you named; we match report lot numbers to the cartons.
Black spot beside sulphiteWe open cartons to look for black spot and read it beside the sulphite result, since sulphite is the usual control.
Deglazed weight and countRandom cartons are thawed, deglazed, weighed and counted against the order, and shrimp checked for injected gel.

Questions buyers ask

Is black tiger shrimp the same as whiteleg shrimp?

No. Black tiger shrimp is Penaeus monodon; whiteleg shrimp is another species and the most widely farmed one. Bangladesh's two main farmed species are black tiger shrimp and freshwater prawn, so ask for the scientific name on the offer.

Why do some shrimp have dark spots?

That is black spot, or melanosis, the main commercial defect of shrimp. Sulphite is the usual control. If you refuse sulphite, say so on the order and agree how much black spot you will accept, because the plant then has fewer ways to hold it back.

Do you test every lot for antibiotics?

Yes, when you order it, and we advise it. A survey of 380 south-west farms found 35 chemical and biological products in use, four of them antibiotics; farmers reported none that the 2011 national aquaculture code bans.

How is black tiger shrimp farmed in Bangladesh?

In ponds run extensively, where tidal water is let in and the crop harvested with little feeding, or semi-intensively, stocked with hatchery post-larvae and fed. Ponds run most of the year with several stockings and harvests, so supply comes in waves.

How soon will I hear back about shrimp and fish?

Within 48 hours of a complete requirement, with a price and a delivery date. A requirement is complete when it has the quantity, where it is needed and by when.

Who do I deal with?

With Roptan, when Roptan manages the order: we buy from the verified seller and deliver to you. With the supplier directly, when you post on the requirement board and choose a quote yourself.