KAKINADA: There will be a bright future for the seafood industry in the coming years as shrimp can be extended up to 5.50 lakh acres to 6 lakh acres from the existing 3.60 lakh acres in the next couple of years in Andhra Pradesh. According to shrimp traders, two main reasons, including good price for the seafoods and incentives given by the AP government, are encouraging shrimp culture in the state. According to a few exporters, there can be a growth of 10-15 per cent in the shrimp exports in this financial year.
The state government has made the registration procedure easy for aqua ponds and is also giving a subsidy for power at '1 per unit. Previously, the aqua farmers used to wait more time for getting permissions for digging ponds. But now the farmers can dig aqua ponds as soon as paying sufficient fees and documents to the officials,’’ said an exporter. Many of the farmers in coastal area, in particular, Nellore , East and West Godavari districts, are coming forward to convert agriculture fields into aqua ponds.
Some of the big and experienced farmers in aqua field are making huge investments in the sector and purchasing the agriculture lands to convert aqua ponds. In Konaseema area, there are owners of nearly 500 acres of agriculture fields who are ready to switch to aqua cultures. The prices of Vannamei are also very encouraging this year. However, the exporters seek more encouragement from the government to develop the aqua sector which is main economic resource for the AP government. The officials should give permissions with an immediate manner.
The state government has given lot of encouragement to the aqua farmers and its sector. The officials should clear registrations for it by considering it as an important manner’’ said the Sea Food Exporters Association President A.Indra Kumar. The Association Executive member Thota Jagadish said that single window system should be brought for giving clearances for the sector. Vannamei is producing in Gujarat, Odisha, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and some parts of Kerala and Karnataka, out of which AP gets major share in either cultivation and also exports. According to sources, for current season, the vannamei producers are getting bumper crop and also securing good prices for their produces.
