The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Crisis in shrimp culture discussed

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Wednesday, Jul 11, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Crisis in shrimp culture discussed

Staff Reporter

BHIMAVARAM: The acute crisis that has gripped the shrimp culture stared at the National Fisheries Board (NFB) in the face at its meeting held here on Tuesday. The meeting was convened by Ayyappan, Deputy Director- General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and Chief Executive Officer, NFB, in a bid to elicit views from farmers, feed manufacturers and others on the revival of shrimp culture. Kondala Rayudu, secretary, Andhra Pradesh Prawn Farmers Association, wanted the Government to develop the domestic market into a substitute to the foreign market so as to bail out shrimp culture from the crisis. As the shrimp culture was treated as export-oriented, it was totally left to the mercy of exporters. Consequently, the shrimp growers were getting poor prices for their produce, much lower than the input cost on many occasions, he regretted.

The market was flooded with shrimp during the harvesting period, commencing in April, and the exporters offered the growers poor prices on the ground of arrival of produce in excess quantities. If the farmers had storage facility, they would avoid distress sale and wait until they got attractive prices, he said. Mr Kondalarayudu urged Ghe government to arrange bank finance for the farmers to establish cold storage plants. Mr Ayyappan said the possibilities of tapping the domestic market would be explored by the time of the next round of the NFB meeting slated for July 31 in Hyderabad.

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