The Hindu Business Line : Disease-free rootstock of shrimps developed

Providing facelift
Disease-free shrimps to be cultivated in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa news thrust areas to increase production.

Kochi June 1 The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), in a bid to boost exports of shrimps, has developed a disease-free rootstock for promoting its cultivation in the country.

Bio-secure place

About 55 per cent of the value of marine products comes from exports of frozen shrimps but of late the country has not been able to push up its shipments due to disease of shrimps, according to the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh.

Addressing a press conference, he said the Andaman and Nicobar islands had been identified as the bio-secure place where disease-free shrimps could be cultivated. MPDEA has already developed a disease-free rootstock, which will be made available to hatcheries by 2008. He said Rs 20 crore would be spent on this.

Focus on tuna

Besides, MPDEA would diversify into tuna, as there is good potential for it off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Mr Jairam Ramesh said he would be holding a meeting of officials of the Agency and other stakeholders in Port Blair soon to explore the possibilities of promoting tuna in the region for commercial exploitation.

He said in order to increase aquaculture production, the Government had identified Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa as new thrust areas in addition to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where it was doing well at present.

Aquaculture feeds

In order to become self-reliant on aquaculture feeds, MPDEA would develop a centre at Tuticorin for making available the feed, "Artemia", to aquaculture farms in the country. Currently, the entire requirement of the feed is met by imports from the US, he said.

Marine products exports during the last fiscal witnessed a growth of 12 per cent. Total shipments stood at $1.85 billion last fiscal against $1.64 billion in 2005-06.

Mr Jairam Ramesh said, China had emerged as a major importer of Indian marine products, while Japanese imports had shown an increase last fiscal. Indications are that China might become the second largest importer of Indian products in another two years time. Demand from the US markets remained flat at 16 per cent, while the exports to Japan increased from 12 per cent to 16 per cent. Chinese share had gone up to 14 per cent, he added.

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