Shrimp production exceeds target, says MPEDA chief

The three-day Aqua Aquaria India 2013, being organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), begins here on Friday at the Loyala College grounds.

The expo will be inaugurated by Chief Miister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Union Minister of State for Commerce D. Purandeswari will be the chief guest, according to MPEDA Chairperson Leena Nair.

She told reporters here on Thursday that nearly 5,000 farmers from different States would participate in the event and several manufacturers would display their products in the 150 stalls at the exhibition.

Experts would lecture on sustainable aquaculture, organic aquaculture and ornamental fish during the three-day event.

She said shrimp and scampi production during the current financial year up to December was 2,45,619 tonnes against the projected target of 2,61,550 tonnes for the whole year.

The production of L. Vannamei was 1,23,551 tonnes in the 10 months compared with 80,717 tonnes during 2011-12, a growth of 53.07 per cent.

Leena Nair said that the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, the R&D arm of the association, was developing sustainable aqua technologies.

A brood stock multiplication centre for L. Vannamei was being set up at TASPARC of the MPEDA in Visakhapatnam. Aqua societies were being formed as a part of the programme and of the 807 societies were formed in the country, 600 of them being in Andhra Pradesh.

The apex body was also promoting production of ornamental fish to expand the base for exports.

Right now the production was being absorbed mostly in the domestic market for aquaria.

In 2011-12, ornamental fish worth Rs 5.8 crore were exported and during the current financial year till November ornamental fish worth Rs 3.7 crore were exported.

She said the provisional export data for the third quarter (2012-13) was 6,60,703 tonnes worth Rs 13,994.46 crore against 6,78,492 tonnes worth Rs 13,198.63 crore during the corresponding period last year.

She attributed the decline in quantity terms to recession in the international market, the continuing anti-dumping duty in the US and other factors.

>sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in