KAKINADA: The ban imposed by certain northeast States on the import of “formalin-laced” seafood from Andhra Pradesh for the last one month has hit the livelihoods of more than 50,000 people in East Godavari alone. Local aqua farmers have rebutted all claims of contamination and are waiting for the impasse to lift.
On an average, 1.50 lakh tonnes of seafood is exported from both the Godavari districts in a month. Of this, around 40,000 tonnes is fish of various types. Over 2.50 acres in West Godavari is dedicated to aqua farming and 10 containers, each holding 10 tonnes of fish, is exported every day.
“One tonne rakes in around Rs 1 lakh depending upon the size and variety of the fish,’’ a farmer from the district said. Newer technologies allow the production of around 30 tonnes of seafood in a three-month period.
“Once fish is taken out of the pond, it has to be transported to various places and it is then that formalin comes into the picture,’’ another farmer said adding that some ryots use chemicals to keep the fish alive and others pump oxygen into the water to keep the fish alive.
As the fish can’t be exported now, the farmers have to bear the additional burden of feeding and storing their produce and also have to recycle the water used continually. “There is also a chance of fish contracting diseases,” a source said.
“The fish are good for sale for a three-month-period, keeping them any longer will require heavy investments,” a farmer explained.
Fisheries Department joint director P Jaya Rao told TNIE that some importers were just not willing to overlook formalin presence in fish.
Little impact on Vizag
The State government is taking steps to discourage farmers from using formalin to preserve fish. Now, the products will be stamped ‘formalin-free’ before being exported. Though East and West Godavari districts export the highest amount of seafood from the State, Vizag too is not far behind. Interestingly, the district has not been affected much by the ban as farmers there do not use a lot of formalin. Most farmers invest around Rs 1 lakh on their ponds every year. Anywhere between 4,000 and 25,000 fish can be maintained in a pond,