GK Aqua rides on biotechnology to scale freshwater prawn farming to new heights

Large freshwater prawn is one of Malaysia’s well-loved local delicacies. In fact, Malaysia is the first country in the world to breed freshwater prawns successfully and has commercially farmed these prawns since the 1960s.

The challenge however is that few local farmers are keen to grow these freshwater prawns as the traditional breeding method produces very low yield. Fortunately, Malaysian startup, GK Aqua uses the wonders of biotechnology to solve this problem.

Founded in 2016 with a vision to make Malaysia an export country of top-quality freshwater prawns, GK Aqua was formed to commercialise and implement its cutting edge biotechnology to improve freshwater prawn farming efficiency.

In a conversation with Biztech, Giva Kuppusamy, Founder & CEO of GK Aqua speaks about his startup’s contribution towards establishing Malaysia as a leader in sustainable freshwater prawn export and how it is working with the government and peers in the region to address issues on food security. He also speaks about the company’s efforts to drive employment opportunities amongst the B40 community, whilst simultaneously building a pipeline of aquapreneurs for the country.

During the conversation, Giva also shares insights on:

How the startup is improving freshwater prawn farming efficiency through biotechnology
The company’s efforts to address food securities issues in Malaysia and around the world
The startups’ close collaboration with the Malaysian government and countries in the region
GK Aqua’s Malaysian Udang Galah Aquaprenuers (MUGA) initiative, a social impact program with the aim of driving employment opportunities amongst the B40 community
What makes GK Aqua a viable investment
The company’s plans, particularly around expansion and diversifying its markets