NELLORE: Aqua farmers in the district can heave a sigh of relief as the Fisheries Department is planning to set up an Antibiotic Test Lab for shrimp soon. As many as 39,000 aqua farmers will benefit from the lab. It may be recalled that containers carrying shrimp shipped from Nellore were returned by European Union countries as the consignment failed to match their safety standards because of its high antibiotics content.
Basically, farmers in the State have been exporting aqua products to the US, European countries, Middle East and Japan. According to official sources, aquaculture has been taken up in around 1.25 lakh acres this year as against 1.85 lakh acres last year and around 39,000 farmers have been cultivating aquaculture in fresh and brackish waters.
“There is no authorised test lab to conduct screening test for the shrimp for the use of antibiotics in culture. Even some of the unauthorised companies and their representatives have been forcing the farmers to use their products to increase the growth of the shrimp, which are excessive in antibiotic contents. There is a need for authorised Antibiotic Test Lab for the shrimp in the district,” said P Suresh Babu, a farmer from Vidavalur mandal.
Normally, aqua farmers from the district export around 80,000 tonnes of shrimp to other countries on an average.“Aqua farmers in the district will soon get the Antibiotic Test Lab. We are planning to set up the lab as per the directions of the State government.There is a need to create awareness among the farmers to decrease the use of antibiotics in aquaculture,” said a senior official of the Fisheries Department.
Cultivation of L Vannamei
Majority of the aqua farmers have been cultivating Litopenaeus Vannamei in the district
Now, farmers are harvesting shrimp in around 80,000 hectares. Farmers will get 3.75 lakh tonnes of shrimp in the first crop and 2 lakh tonnes in the second crop. Farmers are cultivating shrimp in Kota, Vakadu, Chitamur, Chillakur in Gudur division, Manubolu, Venkatachalam, Muthukur, Thotapalli Gudur, Indukurpeta, Kovur, Kodavalur and Vidavalur in Nellore division. In Kavali division, it is being cultivated in Allur, Bogole and Kavali
Many aqua farmers from other parts of the State such as Tirupati, Chittoor have been cultivating L Vannamei after taking the lands on lease. Traders from Ongole, Nellore, Bhimavaram, Chennai and Cochin will purchase shrimp from the aqua farmers