The Hindu Business Line : Shorter hours of power supply hit shrimp farms in AP

CUT in duration of power supply has hit aquaculture farms in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. The regional office of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has written to APTransco to help the farmers by increasing the hours of power supply.

In the past, shrimp farms were given power for 18 hours a day and it has now been reduced to seven hours. The use of diesel pumps has been phased out because of high costs and the farmers have sought MPEDA to provide power subsidy to make aquaculture sustainable.

The APTransco is charging two different rates for power supply to shrimp farms - for engines of 10 HP and below 90 paise per unit (the agricultural rate) and Rs 3.56 a unit for engines above 10 HP (the industrial rate).

Mr R. Venkata Rao of the Shrimp Farmers' Association, says that engines are used for pumping water into the ponds during the high tide and for removal of water for harvesting during the low tide. "Though the amount of power consumed is less, the timings are crucial as the tide keeps changing. Therefore, we need power supply for longer hours," he has said.

Sometimes, the farmers resort to forced, premature harvesting when they detect signs of impending disease to avoid spoilage and therefore power supply is crucial. According to Mr P. Anjiah, Superintending engineer, Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd, power supply to agricultural connections is limited to only seven hours in accordance with the norms. There are 5,000 aqua connections in Krishna district alone, which accounts for the highest number of small farms in the State.

Mr G. Rathina Raj, Deputy Director of the MPEDA, has said that APTransco has been apprised of the problem and efforts will be made to sort it out.