India’s vannamei output to cross 4.5 lakh tonnes

“Since 2009-10, vannamei (Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp) production has shown steady increase and reached the present peak of 4.06 lakh MT (metric tonnes) during 2015-16, increasing the overall shrimp production to about 5 lakh MT,” Madhwaraj said at the inauguration of the fourth edition of Aqua Aquaria India (AAI) expo here. 

“This year, vannamei production is expected to reach a new peak of over 4.5 lakh MT,” he said. Indian shrimp industry is dominated by two varieties of shrimp, including Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp) and Penaeus monodon (Indian Black Tiger Shrimp). Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Chairman A Jayathilak said the “record performance” of the seafood sector over the last few years was built on the strong platform of the aquaculture sector. 

“The coastal shrimp aquaculture production has surged and crossed five lakh tonnes consistently during the last couple of years,” he said. Indian seafood exports have been growing significantly over the past five years with figures of $ 5.5 billion in 201415. 

Fiscal 2015-16 was the exception - with a reduction in value realization despite increased volumes of exports - as the country exported 9,45,892 MT of seafood worth $4.7 billion. The country could ambitiously target foreign exchange of 10 billion dollars by 2020 through export, the minister said. 

Cultured shrimp now contributes over 70 per cent in terms of quantity, about 80 per cent in terms of export value and over 53 per cent in terms of value of seafood exports, he said, terming it as a significant achievement for India’s aquaculture sector. 

The MPEDA Chairman added that it was the first time the Aqua Aquaria India Expo was being held on the west coast of India. The first three editions were held in Chennai and Vijayawada. Visakhapatnam MP K Hari Babu said aquaculture was no more restricted only to coastline states. “Haryana is also doing shrimp farming. 

I hope the next expo is organised in a land-locked state,” he said. Madhwaraj said while coastal aquaculture made major progress in the socio-economic front at the west coast, infrastructure development was quite slow compared to the east coast. 

“Karnataka has ample potential for aquaculture, ornamental fish culture and overall fisheries development. “Apart from Karnataka, other west coast states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa offer excellent scope for development of coastal aquaculture activities,” he said. 

The minister added that one should keep in mind the ecological sustenance while planning “rational exploitation” of natural resources. India is the second largest aquaculture producer in the world, the second largest exporter of shrimps to Europe and the largest exporter of shrimps to the US. Aquaculture contributes around 70 per cent of the total marine products export earnings of India.