BT shrimp production dips 33% during first crop this season

The Black Tiger (BT) shrimp production through aqua culture has dropped by around 20,000 tonnes during the first crop of this season in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The BT shrimp is harvested twice a year in the state during May-August and October-December.

Last year, the farmers produced around one lakh tonnes of BT shrimp in both the crops. The first crop yield around 60,000 tonnes of BT. But during the current year, the BT shrimp production has fallen by 33.33 per cent to around 40,000 tonnes during the first crop.

"Lack of groundwater and sufficient fresh water through canals especially in the districts of Krishna, Guntur, Ongole is one of the main reasons which discouraged the farmers from taking up BT shrimp cultivation in state," U Viswanatha Raju, president of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of Seafood Exporters Association of India, explained the reason for the fall in production.

Apart from water scarcity, fall in shrimp exports to Japan and the US in the last six to eight months due to muddy smell problem and anti-dumping duty threat was also a major reason for the drop in BT shrimp production, he said.

Normally, the first crop material arrives till mid-September. But this year, by mid-August itself the arrivals had fallen sharply, Raju said. Following decline in shrimp arrivals, the seafood exporters have increased the purchasing prices slightly from August 1. Even this measure has failed to show any effect.

At present, the seafood exporters are offering Rs 340 per kg of 20-count BT shrimp and Rs 280 for 30-count, Rs 210 for 40-count and Rs 160 for 50-count. The rates have gone up by Rs 10-20 per kg as compared to the purchasing rates in July.

Due to the fall in BT shrimp production, shrimp exports form Andhra Pradesh are likely to register a decline in exports by around Rs 400 crore during this year. The shrimp industry foresees a fall of 5,000-10,000 tonnes in the BT shrimp production even during the second crop.