KOCHI: Shrimp farmers in Kerala have suffered a loss of Rs 308 crore due to the COVID-induced lockdown. A survey conducted by the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) to assess the impact of the lockdown on shrimp aquaculture revealed that unprecedented circumstances following the pandemic led to a significant reduction of 500 tonnes in shrimp production in Kerala, which has left thousands unemployed.
“Shrimp farming is practised in about 3144 hectares in Kerala, with an average production of 1500 tonnes per annum. The state is dependent on Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for accessing seed, feed and other supplements. However, the restrictions on inter-state transportation has affected the movement of seed, feed and farmed produce, causing irreparable loss to the farmers”, said CIBA director K K Vijayan.
The study revealed that shrimp aquaculture was hit mainly due to reduction in farming activities and number of days of culture during the lockdown period. Scarcity of seeds, feeds and labour, for which Kerala depends on other states, was the major reason for disruption of farming. In addition, the hike in prices of farming inputs and market uncertainty worsened the situation.
Around 50 per cent of the farmers gave up shrimp farming, even though they had prepared ponds for it, due to difficulty in accessing quality seeds and uncertainty in the market. Increased feed cost and difficulty in accessing services led to a 30 per cent reduction in farming area.
Fearing financial losses due to disease outbreak, farmers who had a standing stock resorted to 'panic harvesting' of small-sized shrimps and sold the produce at lower prices, the CIBA said.
“Farmers were forced to do panic harvesting as diseases were reported in around 10 per cent of farming areas. Aqua-laboratories and professional services remained out of bounds for the farmers due to the lockdown. Only 10 per cent of the farming ventures could complete the 80 day culture, while around 25 per cent farmers harvested their crop within 30 days. Around 15 per cent farmers went for harvest within 80 days," said Vijayan.
The study revealed that there was a huge rise in unemployment in Kerala's shrimp farming sector. According to the CIBA, around 12,000 people who were involved in shrimp farming, processing and distribution lost their livelihood for six months, incurring a loss of around Rs 108 crore. The shrimp supply chain depends upon labour and offers a wide range of job opportunities in farms, hatcheries, processing units, manufacturing and marketing sectors.
It is estimated that the Indian shrimp farming sector has incurred a loss of around 40 per cent during the lockdown and the total loss in value terms is estimated to be 1.60 billion USD. “Though the central and state governments took proactive measures such as notifying aquaculture as an essential activity and easing the restrictions on the movement of farming inputs, additional efforts are required to implement the plans at the ground-level," the report said.
Vijayan said the government should extend credit and insurance support to the farmers and financial support for crop loss due to natural disaster. “The state needs to develop hatcheries for the production of vannamei seeds and adopt nursery rearing facility in the state to reduce the dependency on other states," he said.