Farming of litopenaeus Vannamei, an exotic shrimp, will be taken up in a big way in State’s brackish water ecosystem.
With harvesting of Vannamei shrimp having recorded a huge success with 85 per cent survival rate and better growth in the State is proving more profitable than the conventional Black Tiger (Monodon) culture, the State Government will be taking up promotion of Vannamei shrimp culture in seven coastal districts.
A high level meeting chaired by ACS Finance R Balakrishnan has approved the project proposal to boost Vannamei farming with a cost of Rs46 crore.
The project will definitely change the lives of shrimp farmers in the State, felt Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) Secretary Bishnupada Sethi.
Department of FARD has in fact scaled up shrimp farming and export of from marine and brakish water from the State, which registered growth of 250 per cent during last three years from Rs908 crore to Rs2,300 crore.
With the new State fishery policy cleared by the State Cabinet recently, the State aims to enhance the export to Rs10, 000 crore in next five years.
Sethi said that the new project will involve 6,500 farmers during the operation of the scheme to cover 5,000 hectares by Vannamei shrimp culture.
According to an estimate, at least 5.5 to 6 tonnes Vannamei could be produced from one hectare, earning a profit of Rs14 lakh.
The project to promote Vannamei shrimp would make easier to usher in a ‘Vannamei Revolution’ in the State in coming years, felt Director of Fisheries P Krishna Mohan.
“The positive result will definitely change the lives of shrimp farmers in Odisha. A newly developed farming model of Vannamei shrimp will be developed,” said an expert in the sector.
Sethi said due to uncertain return and high risks of the shrimp culture, the banks are not providing financial support. As a result, the farmers are attracted towards cheaper seeds. When antibiotic residues are found with shrimps, the products are often getting rejected in the export markets. Secondly at present,
there is no subsidy on any input for the brackish water aquaculture.
Keeping this in view, the ambitious scheme is proposed to encouragethe farmers for scientific culture, quality seed stocking, and for decreasing the use of antibiotics by providing one time subsidy to Vannamei farmers, said the officer.
ACS Finance Balakrishnan while approving the scheme advised to ensure adequate employment generation and linking the Vannamei farmers with insurance schemes so that they will be financially protected due to any untoward situation.
He asked the DoFARD to allow farmers to purchase seeds of Vannamei from the hatcheries approved by Central Aquaculture Authority (CAA).
The ACS Finance also suggested for concurrent evaluation of the implementation of the scheme through FASRD and a third party evaluator.