Indian aquaculture output grows 30%
Indian farmers will increase their white shrimp production this year.
Aquaculture production in India grew by more than 30% during the 2009-10 financial year mainly due to higher output in the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu regions.
India's total aquaculture production reached 106,000 tonnes and exports also increased, according to the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA).
The country's production and exports are again expected to climb this year as more coastal farms embark upon white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) farming projects, said Anwar Hashim, national president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).
However, production in coastal aquaculture fell to 88,803 tonnes with an estimated value of INR 19.1 billion (€329.3 million/$402 million), according to MPEDA. Aquaculture spanning 108,000 hectares bred 75,997 tonnes of shrimp.
The decline was around 28.4% in production and 10.9% in area compared to the previous year .
Freshwater shrimp production was 12,806 tonnes from an aquaculture area of 1,644 hectares during the year, representing a 53% fall in production and 63% in area use. The drop in production was attributed to the global economic recession, which saw lower international seafood prices, particularly for shrimp, said MPEDA.
In addition, the profitability and production of Indian black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) is being adversely impacted by competition from cheaper vannamei farmed in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other Asian countries, the authority said.
India mainly produces black tigers and processing plants are currently running at just about 30% capacity.
Monodon are more expensive to raise yet have lower yields than vannamei. According to SEAI, the cost of production for vannamei is $2.29 (€1.87) per kg, or half that for black tigers.
Farmers can raise 20 tonnes of small-to-medium vannamei per hectare versus 2-3 tonnes of large monodon per hectare.
Also the survival rates in most black tiger farms are only around 40% due to the species being prone to disease. The survival rate of vannamei is around 95-98%.
The price of black tigers are at least 15% higher than vannamei in the global market.
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