Macrobrachium rosenbergii · Sri Lanka
Prawns grown in reservoirs older than most countries.
Divron raises the world's largest freshwater prawn in Sri Lanka's ancient tanks, irrigation reservoirs built as far back as the 3rd century BC. Stocked at low density, fed by the water itself, and harvested by the artisanal fishers who tend them.
- 600g+
- Prawns reach this size
- 120
- Reservoirs stocked
- 50+
- People across the operation
- 2015
- Founded
Who we are
A value chain built with the communities inside it.
Divron Bioventures was founded in 2015 by Mr. Shan Meemanage. It grew from a project to develop a more sustainable and inclusive foundation for aquaculture in Sri Lanka, funded by the International Development Research Centre (Canada) and Global Affairs Canada.
A key outcome was a value chain model that enhanced the social capacity of rural communities and integrated it with the commercial and technical advancement of aquaculture. That became the vision for Divron.
What we grow
Giant Freshwater Prawn
Macrobrachium rosenbergii
One animal, grown one way. We stock post-larvae from our own hatchery into Sri Lanka's inland reservoirs, let them feed on what the water already produces, and take them only once they have reached size. The best of them pass 600 g.
About the prawnWhere it goes
Ministry of Crab, and every kitchen it has opened.
Our largest account is Ministry of Crab, and we supply every one of its kitchens: the Colombo restaurant and the franchise it has opened across Asia.
Beyond it the prawn goes to the top of the Sri Lankan market, the hotel dining rooms and chef-led restaurants that buy on size and condition, and offshore to Thailand and further afield.
Chain of custody
Every prawn we ship can be traced back to the reservoir it grew in.
01
Breeding
Post-larvae bred from indigenous parent stock at our Pamunugama hatchery.
02
Grow-out
Stocked at low density into open inland reservoirs and tended by partner fisher communities.
03
Transport
Moved live in reefer trucks and iced crates from the reservoir shore to the facility.
04
Packaging
Packed to export grade, with grade and weight recorded on the box.
05
Grading
Graded A, B or C by eye, and weighed. Together they decide the product line.
Live
Held in condition and moved live for premium markets.
Cryogenic & fresh
Cryogenically frozen, or packed fresh-chilled in iced crates.
06
Export
Delivered to buyers across Asia, Thailand especially, and on to Europe and beyond.
Explore
Watch
The Life of Prawns
A short film produced by the Market Development Facility of Australian Aid, following the prawn from our hatchery to the reservoirs of the north.
Market Development Facility · Australian Aid
Recognition
“Honoured by the President of Sri Lanka for our contribution to the development and uplifting of the country's inland fisheries and aquaculture sector.”
The Divron system
Quantity. Quality. Consistency.
One integrated chain, from the broodstock we choose to the box that reaches you. Each part of it exists because the next part depends on it.
Quantity
A hatchery producing 10 million+ post-larvae every two months, which is what makes stocking 120 reservoirs a schedule rather than an ambition.
Quality
Controlled breeding and hatchery management, open-reservoir grow-out, selective harvesting, and handling standards that hold from the waterline onward.
Consistency
One chain end to end: hatchery, reservoirs, fisher communities, harvest, processing, and our own vehicles to the buyer's door.
Tell us what you need and we’ll tell you what we can ship.
Species, sizes, formats and volumes: send the specification and we’ll come back with availability.