Andhra shrimp farmers set Sept 30 deadline on feed prices, warn of crop holiday
The Andhra Pradesh State Aqua Farmers Association (APSAFA) on Monday passed a resolution declaring a crop holiday for shrimp farming from next April if the State government does not initiate talks on farmers' concerns, including the steep rise in aqua feed prices, by September 30.
The decision was taken at a state-level meeting of nearly 2,000 shrimp farmers from Coastal Andhra Pradesh held at Amalapuram in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district.
Harvesting of the current crop is expected to be completed by March, with the next season scheduled to begin in April after a month-long pond preparation period. If the crop holiday is implemented, shrimp cultivation would be skipped for the upcoming season.
Addressing the meeting, APSAFA president G. Gandhi Bhagawan Raju said that within two months, companies have increased the maximum price of shrimp feed by ₹17 a kilogram. He alleged that the price monitoring committee constituted by the State government has failed to prevent the rise in feed prices.
Mr. Raju also said that feed companies have, in recent years, entered the market for probiotics used in aquaculture. “We have decided to boycott the probiotics produced by feed companies and shift to products of other companies as a mark of protest against the rise in feed prices,” he said.
The farmers further urged the State government to request the Centre to announce a support price for shrimp to protect them from market fluctuations.
Shrimp is cultivated on more than 3.5 lakh acres in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, providing a livelihood to more than 10 lakh people involved in activities ranging from pond operations to processing.
