Aquaculture farmers in Andhra Pradesh are in trouble as they may not be able to sell the Vannamei shrimp species they have been farming due to their illegal entry into India.
Vannamei shrimp species, whose harvesting is about to start in six-eight weeks, was brought into India through illegal routes. Its cultivation has been done without the permission of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA), Fisheries Department and the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). Hence, farmers will not be able to sell their produce either in the local market or overseas.
It is estimated that the total volume of harvest from thousands of hectares of aquaculture farms in districts like East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur, Krishna and Nellore would be more than 60,000 tonnes.
Now concerns are being raised over the quality of the produce. For one, as the broodstock for the cultivation of Litopenaeus Vannamei shrimp has been smuggled into the country, proper testing and quarantine examination of the stock have not been done. This means, infected shrimp seeds may have been cultivated. Another concern is that this infection may even spread to other farms that are cultivating traditional shrimp species, such as Black Tiger.
Also, since the harvest from these Vannamei farms would not carry quality/approval tags from the CAA, the Fisheries Department or the MPEDA, edible use of the produce could not be permitted. The above-mentioned regulating agencies have not step in to resolve the issue so far.
The Ministry of Agriculture had granted permission to cultivate Vannamei species in India last October. The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, under the ministry, had notified various guidelines for import of the species and their cultivation.
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According to the notification, permission for importing broodstock of Vannamei should be granted by the CAA, which, in consultation with the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) and the MPEDA, would shortlist overseas suppliers based on the genetic base and disease status. Chennai is the designated port for entry of imported broodstock, as per the guidelines, which also mandates a gross inspection of the consignment by the Animal Quarantine Officer.
Litopenaeus Vannmei shrimp is a native species of South America and is widely cultivated in various Asian countries, including China, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Almost 90 per cent of the world’s shrimp production is of these species.