Andhra Pradesh: Shrimp farmers in Prakasam at their wits’ end in view of hostile market condition

Forty-year-old Venkatesan, an aquaculturist from Tangutur in Prakasam district, has reared white shrimp with great hopes to cover up the losses following COVID-induced economic crisis in the previous two years.

But now, he is keeping his fingers crossed as a count of 100 that fetched ₹290 per kg a couple of weeks ago has plummeted to a new low of ₹200 per kg. Venkatesan is not alone. Shrimp farmers across the South Coastal Andhra Pradesh are ruing their fate in view of the market volatility on the one hand and ever-increasing cost of feed on the other.

The marginal increase in the market price for the shrimps by ₹20 to ₹30 per kg for various counts followed intervention by the State government which held talks with exporters and feed manufacturers to provide some relief to the troubled growers. Now, the market price for a count of 100 hovers at ₹230.

“We cannot break even if the price goes up by further, even by ₹10,” says a group of shrimp farmers in Tangutur. They have deferred harvest hoping for the prices for various counts to go up in a couple of weeks.

Attributing the sudden drop in the market price in a short period to exporters forming themselves into a syndicate, another shrimp farmer K.Nishanth Reddy from Kotha Kodur village in SPSR Nellore district said the State government should ensure price stability. “The prices ruling at the time when shrimps are raised do not prevail at the time of harvest,” he complains in a conversation with  The Hindu.

“We have burnt our fingers following the delay in rolling out power subsidy,” laments yet another shrimp farmer K. Edukondalu, who has raised shrimps in 20 acres in Kothapatnam village in Prakasam district during peak summer. Equador from South America is slowly replacing India’s place in the export market. “While the production cost has gone up by over 20%, the sale price has dipped by 30% now. We do not know how we would stay afloat,” he adds.

“Though the feed cost has been brought down by ₹2,500 from ₹85,000 per tonne by feed manufacturers following a direction from Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, still the cost of inputs, including probiotics, continues to be high,” they complain.

By paying a power tariff of ₹3.85 per unit, we are not in a position arrange for aerators, which is a must for a healthy growth of shrimps. The State government should ensure a power tariff of ₹1.50 per unit to all aquaculture units in keeping with the ruling party’s poll promise for them to rear shrimps, adds a grower M. Venkateswarlu from Koppolu village.

Concessional power tariff should be extended to all units including those outside the aqua zones come out by the Andhra Pradesh State Aquaculture Development Authority(APSADA). Each grower incurs an additional cost of ₹20 per kg on account of power.

Both the Union and State governments should put in place grower-friendly policies for them to withstand the stiff competition in the international market, feels Prakasam Farmers Association Secretary D. Gopinath.