Shrimp Aquaculture Sector in India: Issues and Way Forward
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Impact of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) related lockdown on Shrimp aquaculture sector In India: Issues and way forward ICAR-CIBA, Chennai: 02.05.2020 Background Fisheries and aquaculture sector transport and all the business activities contribute around 1% to India’s Gross except the essential commodities and Domestic Product (GDP) and over 5% medical emergencies. In this backdrop, to the agricultural GDP. Brackishwater it is important to look at the economic aquaculture, the farming of shellfishes impact of the present lockdown and and finfishes along the coastal line of its trickling effect on the Indian shrimp the country and in inland saline areas farming, being one of the major is a vibrant farming sector, under the brackishwater aquaculture sector, its aquaculture umbrella. Brackishwater stake holders including farmers. aquaculture sector is dominated by the shrimp farming, is the economic While shrimp farming is engine of Indian aquaculture, when concentrated mostly in the coastal consider the significant contribution states from West Bengal to Gujarat, of this sector in food production, majority of the critical inputs like, employment generation and economic seed, feed and other farm inputs are benefits. Farmed shrimp production produced in Andhra Pradesh and touched 7.0 lakh tonnes in 2019, of Tamil Nadu and transported to all which 87% is exported to USA, China, the shrimp farming states, including Japan, EU and South East Asia, earning the recently emerging inland saline a robust foreign exchange to the tune aquaculture areas in Punjab, Haryana of Rs.35,000 crores (MPEDA, 2019). and Rajasthan. The allied processing infrastructure is spread across the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) maritime states. About 12 lakh families reported for the first time in China are dependent on this sector directly during December 2019, later declared and indirectly for their employment as world Pandemic on March 11th and income to sustain their livelihoods. 2020 by world health organization Interstate and intrastate movement (WHO), has so far infected more than of seed, feed, inputs and produce for 3.22 million people across the globe processing and export are of utmost including India, killing close to 2 lakh importance for sustaining shrimp people at the time of preparation of aquaculture in India. Therefore, it is this document (27 April 2020). The important to look at the important highly contagious nature of the COVID components of shrimp aquaculture virus and absence of therapeutics and sector such as hatchery, farming, vaccine, many countries have forced to inputs suppliers, seafood processing adopt national lockdown to contain its and trade including manpower to spread. India has imposed countrywide understand the likely impacts of total lockdown from 25th March to 3rd lockdown and social distancing in the May 2020 restricting the movement shrimp value chain in the country. of people, closing down the public Online survey to gauge the opinion of stakeholders ICAR-CIBA being a national other digital platforms. A random R&D institute in the fore front sample of 504 stakeholders including of brackishwater aquaculture farmers, hatchery operators, input development in India, conducted dealers, processors, aqua-professionals an online survey to understand the and academicians across the states impact of COVID-19 related lockdown (Fig.1&2) responded to the survey and on the shrimp farming sector in April, expressed their opinion. 2020. A digital questionnaire with 44 questions related seed supply, inputs The responses received were supply, farming, marketing and social processed component wise to evaluate issues was posted through our institute the impact of national lockdown on this android App ‘(CIBAShrimpApp)’ and dynamic agribusiness sector. West Bengal Gujarat 9% 16% Fig. 1: COVID-19 Impact Survey: Odisha State wise responses Maharashtra 9% 8% Andhra Pradesh Rest of India 33% 6% Tamil Nadu 19% Farmers : 46.08% Consultants, Technicians and professionals: 40.38% Researchers: 5.23% Hatchery operators: 4.04% Fig. 2: Stakeholders participated in the survey (N = 504) Input dealers: 2.84% Processors: 1.43% Shrimp seed production and supply Since 2010, exotic Pacific white of shrimp seed. Almost half of the 70 shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) is the billion annual shrimp seed requirement candidate species farmed in the for stocking is produced during March- country, which accounts for the 90% of April. the farmed shrimp production. Indian hatcheries imports Specific Pathogen Most of the hatchery operators Free (SPF) brood stock mainly from (>90%) participated in the survey were USA, Madagascar, Mexico and Hawaii apprehensive about the import of after due quarantine clearance by vannamei brood stock and sourcing Govt. of India through the Aquatic of polychaete worms the vital fresh Quarantine Facility (MPEDA-RGCA- feed for shrimp brood stock. Majority AQF) located at Chennai. During (78%) of the respondents reported 2019-20, 1,24,957 pairs of brood a drop in the sale of seed to the shrimp were imported from the 14 tune of 30-40%, in addition to the authorized suppliers from abroad constraints in availability of labour, to cater the needs of 311 hatcheries technical staff and transportation and 90 nauplii rearing centers. During (Fig-3). As reports emerged during the the first three months of 2020, the second fortnight of February and early country has imported about 63,430 March about the COVID-19 spread in pairs of vannamei broodstock which China, EU countries and USA, shrimp was 32% higher compared to the same farmers scaled down the stocking, period in the previous year 2019 (CAA, leading to a reduction in the farming 2020). This indicates that adequate area in the current cropping season, vannamei brood stock was available foreseeing a slump in the demand for seed production for the first half in the international shrimp markets of the year. In addition to SPF brood due to economic slowdown driven by shrimp, hatcheries also need import Covid 9 pandemic. It was reported that of speciality feeds, live feeds (Artemia sizable number of hatcheries destroyed cyst and Polychaetes) and several 30-40% of their seed production due growth promotional products mostly to lack of demand. Similarly farmers from south East Asian countries and, who had a standing stock resorted to unavailability of these inputs would ‘panic harvesting’ of smaller size shrimp affect the hatchery seed production and sold at lower prices to reduce the and the seed quality. Further, ban on possible larger financial losses. This international air cargo and related interruption in staggered harvesting disturbances in the functioning of and stocking might lead to enhanced Aquatic Quarantine Facility during demand in seeds for the next crop, April 2020 might affect the vannamei where hatcheries may not be able to broodstock availability and that would meet the increase demand for shrimp influence the production and supply seeds, due to lockdown constraints. Unavailability of laborers 4 Shortage of skilled workers 3 Lack of transportation facility Inadequate supply of brood stock 2 2.20 2.33 1 2.67 3.17 Fig. 3: Challenges faced by shrimp hatcheries due to COVID 19 lock-down: mean score and rank Farming scenario and farmers The major stocking season in culture and the market. About 25% of Indian shrimp farming is during March- the farms were in Phase-I with less than April which was disrupted due to its 30 days of culture, 34% were in phase-II coincidence with the national lockdown with 30 to 80 days of culture, and about brought in by the same period. The 14% were in above 80 days of culture present scenario of the farming as (DOC). The DOC reflects the financial expressed by the participants revealed impact on the farmer, where farms in a mixed picture (Fig. 4). About 27% of phase I and II may not, realise their farmers prepared their ponds but did investment, while those in phase III, not stock due to difficulty in accessing could make break even or small profits. the quality seed, uncertainty over the Constraints in sourcing the seed, its usefulness, especially during the increased feed cost by Rs.6-7/kg and lockdown period. Further, the spare accessing the farming requirements parts for aerators, pumps, generators (Fig-5) due to COVID19 lockdown or other machineries required for caused the reduction in farming area farming operations were not classified to the tune of 40% in the current as essential, hence their availability and season and would increase the cost of movement was affected during the production by 15-20% , and that would lockdown. Closure of aqua laboratories reduce the profits by 40%. Majority and professional services affected of the farmers surveyed were aware health management of animals and of mobile Shrimpapp developed by culture environment. CIBA for technical advice and reported Pr 14% es III- to se c a k h P in g - 2 7 % % 4 3 - I I e s a P h h P a s e I - 2 5 % Fig. 4: Scenario of shrimp farming as expressed by the participants Access to quality shrimp seed 47.68 36.71 15.61 Access to shrimp feed 30.58 50.41 19.01 Very Water quality Kits/Minerals etc. 42.74 40.66 16.60 Difficult Access to diagnostic services 59.58 31.25 9.17 Difficult Aerators/ spare parts / equipments 51.87 35.68 12.45 No Constraints Skilled workers like electrician, fishers 46.89 41.08 12.03 Technical guidance 32.64 41.84 25.52 0 20 40 60 80 100 Fig. 5: Constraints faced by the shrimp farmers (%) during COVID-19 lock-down period Manufacturing and supply of feed and shrimp healthcare products India’s annual shrimp feed the movement of raw materials such requirement is about 12-13 lakh as fish meal, soybean meal and other tonnes, most of it is produced by specialized inputs such as fish oil, krill 8-10 major companies located mostly meal etc., compelling the feed mills in the state of Andhra Pradesh and to curtail their production capacities.