Aquaculturists in Prakasam district endowed with vast coastline and tropical climatic condition were a happier lot when vannamei shrimp produced by them fetching a premium price of Rs. 580 per kg for a 30-count early this year in the wake of a fall in production in East and Southeast Asian countries.
But they are now spending sleepless nights owing to spurious seed even as vannamei shrimp price came down to Rs. 520 per kg this month.
About 40 per cent of the aquaculturists are waiting for the situation to improve in the coming months even as the district administration has set a target to double the area under aquaculture to 6,000 hectares to ensure double digit growth.
Growth engine
“It is high time the State government, which has identified the sector as a growth engine, takes sector-friendly initiatives like supply of Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) brood-stock and lab to test soil, water and shrimps right at aqua ponds for disease surveillance,” says Andhra Pradesh State Prawn Farmers’ Welfare Association secretary A. Kondal Rayudu while speaking to The Hindu .
Taking stock of the situation, aquaculturists expressed concern over mushrooming of hatcheries and mixing of local seed with imported ones by some erring hatcheries.
In the absence of quality seeds, the aquaculturists are getting only 10 gram growth as against the normal 33 gram growth after 120 days, laments Rythu Sangam district secretary D. Gopinath.
Prolonged dry spell
The prolonged dry spell is adding to their woes. They have to use probiotics to ensure healthy shrimps in their farms and quality of produce, explains Tella Ramaiah, an aquaculturist from Tangutur.
The Centre should provide export incentives as the sector earns precious foreign exchange for the nation, says another farmer J. Venkatesan from Singarayakonda.
They want the government to set up cold chains and develop domestic market for protein-rich shrimp to shed their dependence on international market, marked by fluctuating prices, adds yet another farmer M. Edukondalu from Kothapatnam.
Soft loan
The government should ensure soft loan for aquaculturists from banks and fix the scale of finance to Rs. 9 lakh per acre. Smaller players in the field are forced to pay 12.5 per cent interest on their loans, laments Aqualculturists Association Prakasam district convenor D. Suresh Babu.
