Better catch in store for shrimps, prawns

MPEDA plans to increase area under cultivation by 1,00,000 hectares by 2010.

Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has chalked out plans to expand the area under shrimp and fresh water prawn cultivation by 1,00,000 hectares by the end of 2010.

The move follows the inclusion of shrimp and prawns in the marine products export basket of the country.

India had exported marine products worth Rs 7,245.30 crore in 2005-06, of which 59 per cent was frozen shrimp.

During the last financial year India produced 1,43,170 tonne shrimp and 42,820 tonne fresh water prawn. Total area under shrimp culture was 1,40,682 hectares and 43,433 hectares was under scampi culture as on March 31, 2006.

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are the leading states where aquaculture is carried, while potential states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa are yet to be tapped.

As the export demand for shrimp and prawns is on the increase, MPEDA has already commenced a mission mode programme in these states in partnership with the state governments to increase shrimp production.

Experts say there is limited scope to increase shrimp catch as there the past tsunami had caused a shortage of almost all fish varieties. Over exploitation of marine products is also a threat to the availability of marine shrimp and prawns.

The major threat to the export of cultured shrimp and prawns is the use of antibiotics in order to curb various deceases, but export market rejects products which contains traces of medicine and pharmacologically active substances. The European Union and US authorities have very stringent measures to curb the import of such fish varieties.

In order to curb these practices MPEDA organises field level campaign in remote farming villages. Sources at MPEDA said that MPEDA-NACA (Network of Aquaculture Centre of Asian-Pacific, Bangkok) technical assistance programme followed by field level demonstrations in states such as Andhra Pradesh had contributed significantly in shrimp health management and aquaculture production in the country.

The authority will also give importance to the hitherto neglected area of exploitation of Tuna resources.

MPEDA will subsidise the cost of conversion of existing fishing vessels to tuna long liners and for the acquisition of monofilament long line system for which subsidy assistance will be provided subject to a maximum of Rs 7.5 lakh or 50 per cent of the cost, whichever is less. Fishermen will be trained in tuna line on processing of on-board vessels by inviting overseas experts.

The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), heaquartered at Thirumullaivasal in Tamil Nadu, has taken the lead in developing technology for aquaculture of modern fin fishes like Asian seabass and grouper.

The centre has also taken initiative to develop culture of live groupers in open sea cages in the Andaman Islands.

For the first time in the country RGCA had streamlined the production of mud crab seeds which will become instrumental to propagate large scale mud crab farming which has high overseas demand.

Recently the centre made a breakthrough in breeding blue sea crab for enabling production of large scale seed. It has also launched a project at the Andaman Islands to produce specific pathogen free (SPF) shrimp broodstock thorough domestication of tiger shrimp.

MPEDA's another two societies, TASPARC and OSSPARC now produce high quality shrimp seeds through pro-biotic mode in a most bio-secure production technology.

In order to increase marine exports to $6 billion by 2015, MPEDA has identified three specific areas such as tuna exploitation diversification of aquaculture species and promotion of value-added products.

G Mohankumar, chairman, MPEDA, said that in order to meet the target MPEDA was preparing a detailed road map which will be submitted to the commerce ministry soon.