CHENNAI: Despite the subsidies provided by the government, 60 per cent of shrimp farms are still unregistered, said Fisheries Minister KA Jayapal.
He was speaking at an international meet on aquaculture organised by the Tamil Nadu Fisheries University in Chennai on Friday. There is a huge potential for shrimp farming in the country. Out of 77,000 hectares of available land, only 1,500 hectares are used, he said.
M Palpandi from the Coastal Aquaculture Authority said more personnel would be needed if unregistered farms are to be checked. “We come under the Commerce Ministry and there are only two persons to look at the shrimp farming. Unless they have a proper Ministry, unregistered farms will continue to crop up. We have requested the new government on that,” he said.
“The manpower is less to check the shrimp culture operations,” said Dr Babu, an aquaculture auditor.