May 23, 2011

Indian city produces inland shrimps

Shrimp farming in Indian city Rohtak, Haryana, is providing an alternate source of livelihood to farmers who own infertile land.

The researchers at Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) in Rohtak have designed new methods to commercially produce tiger shrimps and prawns in inland saline water.

"Shrimps that we eat are called Moniton, and is produced in Australia and imported from there. The saline water that we have here cannot be used as it is for shrimp production; it lacks certain properties. We take care of the requirements in our laboratory and make amendments accordingly and then we do shrimp farming," said Hari Krishna, a CIFE scientist.

This practice is gaining popularity as Indian farmers can earn much more by selling seafood, which is sought after in the global market. Farmers can produce shrimps only in summer, since the winter season is unfavourable for shrimp farming.

Shrimps cost anywhere between INR250 (US$5.55) to INR300 (US$6.65) per kg. Approximately 1,680 kg of shrimps can be produced on one hectare of land.

Shrimps do not survive in raw inland water due to variations in the ionic value of water. Hence, the water is treated in a laboratory and made fit for use.

"To keep the shrimps in the saline water, we first need to test it because the saline water is not uniform everywhere, which is why our scientists test the water and advise the farmers to use it accordingly," said D.V.K. Sharma, Head Scientist of the CIFE.