AP marine exports may dip Rs 300 crore

Marine exports from Andhra Pradesh is likely to see a decline of about Rs 300 crore for the year ended March 31, 2004.

The total marine exports for the year under consideration is pegged at around Rs 1,900 crore.

"This is mainly due to the drop in shrimp export prices and fall in scampi (fresh water shrimp) production in the state," Raghunatha Reddy, secretary-general of Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) and the president of SEAI AP Region, told Business Standard.

Andhra Pradesh exported about Rs 2,200 crore worth of marine products during 2002-03, of which 90 per cent were shrimp exports. But during 2003-04, the total marine exports will not cross Rs 1,900 crore, according to Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) sources.

Although the quantity of marine exports in the fiscal under consideration will not differ much when compared to the previous year, the drop in export prices have severely hit dollar realisation, shrimp exporters said.

During the last season, shrimp exporters reduced the aqua culture black tiger shrimp purchase prices by Rs 40 per kg. The seafood exporters also reduced the marine shrimp prices on similar lines.

"The price drop severely affected dollar realisation on marine exports during 2003-04. In addition to this, shrimp exports have been badly affected by the drop in scampi production in the state. Scampi which is mainly produced in Nellore district," Reddy said.

"During the just ended fiscal, due to non-availability of fresh water, the state's scampi production has declined by about Rs 250-300 crore," he added.

In the current year, marine exports from the state may drop further because of the anti-dumping duty threat from the United States, which at present imports about 40-45 per cent of the state's shrimp.

Also, the shrimp exports to Japan have been on a decline in the last two years. This is another major reason for worry, Seafood exporters said.