Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Trawling turns into a sunset industry

Santosh Patnaik

Declaring it sick is the only way out, feel entrepreneurs

VISAKHAPATNAM: After creating a craze among entrepreneurs for several years, trawling has now reduced to a dying industry.

With most of the trawling companies keeping their vessels idle due to a variety of problems like shrimp-centric approach, dwindling catch, cut-throat competition and outdated technology, the industry has more or less gained the status of a sunset industry

Even those who put their money in shrimp culture are incurring losses. Ninety per cent of the country's shrimp culture is based in Andhra Pradesh.

Trawler owners had put their money in the culture business with the hope that their losses would be recovered with high returns in aquaculture.

Virus problem and their inability to source infection-free brooder stock had put them in deep trouble.

This also attracted imposing of curbs by the clients in the US, Japan and the European Union.

Pilot project

The pilot project to set up specific pathogen free hatcheries with the initiative of the Marine Products Export Development Authority, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Ministry of Agriculture has also failed to achieve the desired results.The number of big trawlers under operation in the entire country had now come down from 250 ten years ago to 45, of which only 16 are undertaking active fishing. New vessels are now costing in the range of Rs.4 crores to Rs.7 crores. The number of 50 to 60 ft. long mini trawlers, which was 130 ten years ago, has come down to 29. Among the 29 mini trawlers, eight are presently working, according to the Association of Indian Fisheries Industry president T.M. Choudary.

He said on price front also, there is no good news. The price of brown prawn which was Rs. 300 a kg. four years ago, has come down to Rs. 200. Diesel price which was Rs.12-14 four years ago, has now gone up to Rs.35. At the same time, the performance of dollar has remained constant. To save the industry out of the crisis, entrepreneurs feel that it should be declared sick and benefits should be extended to diversify.

After the failure of the lobster experiment in the Andamans, the authorities are now asking the industry to exploit tuna, cat fish, miscellaneous fish and other varieties to increase turnover from seafood exports - which has also remained constant at Rs. 7,500 crores to Rs. 8,000 crores in the State over the past few years.

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