March 27, 2007

Farmers in India demand development of areas for shrimp production

Shrimp farmers in India's western state of Gujarat have demanded that the state develop over 52,000 hectares of land along the coastal belt in Surat and Bharuch districts for shrimp farming.

The Surat Aquaculture Farmers Association (SAFA) recently urged the state government to help develop shrimp farming through an easier land allotment policy and provision of infrastructure after it announced a package for development of the belt, SAFA general secretary Manoj Sharma said.

SAFA also requested for more financial support from the state government to promote shrimp farming on a large scale.

Although Gujarat with about 376,000 hectares of coastal land, has the second largest coastal area in India suitable for shrimp farming, it accounts for only 2.5 per cent to the total national production.

Sharma said this could have been greatly improved.

The Surat district in Gujarat currently has more than 1,500 hectares of land devoted to tiger shrimp farming. The products are exported to the US, Japan, South Africa and other European countries, with export turnover reaching Rs 50 crore (US$11.5 million) a year.