VIJAYAWADA: In a landmark initiative aimed at transforming the fortunes of small-scale shrimp farmers, stakeholders across Andhra Pradesh’s aquaculture sector have come together to launch a farmer-led Community Action Plan (CAP) to improve livelihoods, strengthen disease management, enhance transparency and reduce farmers’ dependence on middlemen.
The five-year roadmap (2026-31), developed through consultations involving more shrimp farmers, researchers, industry representatives, government officials and community leaders, seeks to address some of the most pressing challenges confronting shrimp farming in the Krishna-Godavari Delta. The initiative was facilitated by FishWise and Monterey Bay Aquarium in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and Social Work of Acharya Nagarjuna University, Essmart, Maritech and the Agricultural and Social Development Society.
The action plan emerged from a series of community consultations and stakeholder workshops held across key aquaculture regions. As part of the exercise, organisers engaged directly with farmers and formed groups in six major shrimp-farming mandals Kaikaluru and Mandavalli in Krishna district, Veeravasaram in the erstwhile West Godavari district, and Razole, Malkipuram and Sakhinetipalli in the erstwhile East Godavari district. More than 1,200 shrimp farmers have been brought onto a common platform through the initiative.
Speaking about the programme, Agricultural and Social Development Society founder Director U Gandhi Babu said the effort was designed to place farmers at the centre of decision-making and help them overcome long-standing challenges.
“We observed the issues faced by shrimp farmers and organised a series of meetings to understand their concerns. Farmer groups have been formed in six mandals, covering nearly 1,200 farmers. The ultimate goal is to support farmers, protect them from exploitation by middlemen, facilitate access to government subsidies and welfare schemes, and ensure a better future for shrimp-farming families,” he said.
The Community Action Plan identifies three major challenges affecting the sector: lack of farmer unity, concerns over seed and feed quality, and recurring disease outbreaks linked to poor water quality and inadequate infrastructure. Stakeholders believe these issues can be effectively addressed only through collective action and coordinated interventions across the value chain.
A key component of the roadmap focuses on increasing farm registration among smallholder farmers. Many farmers remain outside the formal registration system due to lack of awareness and procedural hurdles, limiting their access to government support programmes, insurance schemes and institutional credit.
Registration also helps improve traceability and market access. The plan aims to ensure that at least 80 per cent of smallholder shrimp farms in the target mandals obtain valid registrations by 2031.
The roadmap proposes the formation and strengthening of farmer clusters and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to improve collective bargaining power and reduce production costs. Through cluster-based approaches, farmers can jointly procure quality seed, feed and other inputs, access training and technical services, secure financial assistance and establish stronger market linkages.
The plan also emphasises improving farm management practices through structured training programmes on water quality management, disease prevention, biosecurity measures and decent work principles.
Technology adoption has been identified as another critical area. Farmers will be encouraged to utilise automated feeders, water-quality sensors, artificial intelligence-based monitoring systems and digital traceability tools to improve efficiency and decision-making.
The roadmap further focuses on improving broodstock, seed and feed quality. Implementation of the CAP will begin with activities focused on farmer organisation, capacity building, technology access and improving transparency across the shrimp value chain. Stakeholders said the plan would be periodically reviewed and refined based on field-level experiences, ensuring that AP’s shrimp farming sector becomes more resilient, profitable and sustainable.