The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Shrimp industry facing crisis

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Shrimp industry facing crisis

Staff Reporter

Demand for black tiger prawn declines substantially

Farmers told to shift to production of another kind
‘Exporters are in danger of suffering losses’

Kakinada: The Indian shrimp industry, which is heavily dependent on black tiger prawn (P. Monodon), is facing a major crisis due to the shift in global demand towards L.Vannamei the production cost of which is less and meat yield is higher.

The production of P. Monodon in India has come down substantially in the last few years due to various reasons and its revenue is reaching the ebb but farmers seem to have not realised the need to switch over to production of L.Vannamei.

The Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture and National Fisheries Development Board are therefore expected to educate and encourage farmers to produce L.Vannamei and permit import of brood stock from the country of its origin, the USA, according to L. Satyanarayana, president of All India Shrimp Hatcheries Association (AISHA).

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Satyanarayana said that the demand for P. Monodon from the US, Japan and southeast Asian countries declined substantially due to a perceptible change in the food habits and other economic forces.

No takers

India had been the only producer of P. Monodon in the world but now it has no takers.

The farmers were still spending their energies on it unaware of the fact the global consumers were no longer interested in their product.

Mr. Satyanarayana said there were several countries currently producing L.Vannamei but India was yet to catch up with the trend even after losing a huge amount of foreign exchange earnings. Not only farmers, the exporters were in danger of suffering irreparable losses.

One important thing farmers should know was that they need not completely stop producing P. Monodon. It could be a mix of both species for sometime.

AISHA secretary Y. Ravi Kumar said the farmers can easily adapt themselves to the conditions that suit production of L.Vannamei at minimal cost.

They need not make any major changes in the aquaculture methods.

Both the government and the farmers should rise to the occasion and save the industry by taking the change in their stride, lest the Indian shrimp industry should collapse, he added.

AISHA treasurer G. Venkateswara Rao, Seafood Exporters Association of India, AP region president Y. Surya Rao and others were present.

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