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R. Balaji

CHENNAI, Jan. 29

SHRIMP seed prices are hovering at low levels with stocking yet to pick up in shrimp farms. Prices per piece of black tiger shrimp seed in the 14-20-day-old post-larval stage (PL 14-20) is around 15-20 paise and is likely to pick up later this month, according to hatchery operators along the Chennai coastline.

The situation is similar in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, with PL 18-20 ranging around 15 paise. This is significantly lower than that of last year, when prices were around 50 paise per piece and went up to 70 paise and higher with increasing demand, they said.

The drop in prices is attributed to delayed stocking in shrimp farms because of adverse weather conditions in the last one month. Untimely rains and cold weather conditions are not ideal for shrimp stocking, they said. Stocking is expected to pick up in mid-February and this will boost the seed prices. Normally, stocking would have commenced in January and demand would have reached a peak. Further, some of the hatcheries had not anticipated the delay and commenced seed production. This has also aggravated the situation, they said.

Meanwhile, the brooder prawns, which are made to spawn in the hatcheries to obtain seeds, are in demand and fetch around Rs 300-500 for mature black tiger. A gravid (egg bearing and ready to spawn) prawn can fetch around Rs 10,000. In Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, a gravid shrimp could cost around Rs 70,000 when demand increases with hatcheries operating to capacity, according to hatchery operators.

Shrimp pond stocking has commenced in Andhra Pradesh, and is expected to gather momentum in the coming weeks. In South Tamil Nadu, the farmers are yet to commence stocking.

Further, there is a marked lack of enthusiasm among the shrimp farmers because of the low prices that shrimps fetched during the latter part of last year. The coastline along the Chennai-Pondicherry route is a major belt for production of black tiger shrimp seeds.

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