Andhra Pradesh Government bans antibiotics to shore up aqua exports

VIJAYAWADA: The Health Department has banned the use of two antibiotics, Chloramphenicol and Nitrofurantoin, for shrimp culture in the State. Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas said, “No antibiotics are to be used for shrimp culture in the State.” He further created a Task Force to look into the issue.Addressing the media, Kamineni said, “AP stands for the best production in fisheries and shrimp, which is usually exported to other countries. India ranked first in exporting fish with a share of 37 per cent in the world market. Of the total exports from India, nearly 40-45 percent are from Andhra Pradesh. In order to shore up exports, we have to follow certain parameters, especially in the use of drugs in aquaculture.”

Kamineni  further said that antibiotics would lead to serious infections among humans, like cancer. “Use of antibiotics not only has an impact on our health but also has an impact on the exports, which might lead to a ban on exports from AP. For this, we have to create awareness sessions for farmers to teach them about the harmful effects of these antibiotics. We have also planned to stop the use of unauthorised aqua labs in the State,” he added.

For any laboratory, the government is asking to recruit a certified analyst to perform the check-ups. Drug stores which sell medicines for aqua culture need to obtain a licence from the Director General of Drugs. In order to undertake these initiatives, the government constituted a task force committee. The committee will be headed by Commissioner of Fisheries as Chairman and the team will comprise 10 members.