The huge growth in production of the vannamei shrimp in Andhra Pradesh and other States on the East Coast has helped seafood exports scale new heights in the first three quarters of the current financial year.
Exports of vannamei almost doubled in quantity compared with the first three quarters of the last fiscal – to 134,000 tons from 69,000 tons.
In dollar terms, the jump was spectacular: $1,474 million from $540 million. This is an increase of 173 per cent over the previous fiscal’s first three quarters.
A little over a half of vannamei exports was to the US, while 16 per cent was to South-East Asian countries.
Piggybacking on the splendid performance of vannamei and other frozen shrimps, the seafood sector is now scaling up its expectation on export earnings beyond the $4.33-billion target for the entire fiscal.
According to the Marine Products Export Promotion Authority, export earnings have already topped $3.66 billion.
Vannamei excels
Seafood exporters said out that vannamei farming was fast expanding in Andhra Pradesh, the nerve-centre of shrimp culture. Vannamei production was also gaining in other States on the East Coast – Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal – as well as in Gujarat. Farmers’ initiative, rather than institutional or Government support, was driving the vannamei farming, they said.
Huge demand from the US and South-East Asia, remunerative prices and devastation of vast stretches of shrimp farms in leading cultured-shrimp producing countries is encouraging new farmers in the States on the East Coast to venture into vannamei. “It’s a case of success driving further success,” one exporter commented.
MPEDA said out that frozen shrimp made up a third of the seafood exports, while in dollar terms, the share was as high as 65 percent. Shrimp export in the three quarters was 229,000 tons bringing in $2,396 million. The percentage of increase over the same period in the previous year was 27.5, while in dollar terms the jump was 70.5 per cent.
Of the total exports of shrimp, vannamei alone constituted 81 per cent of in terms of quantity.
The share of fish in the export basket was 30 per cent, mainly cuttle fish and squid. According to MPEDA , 692,000 tons of marine products were exported during April-December 2013.
The rupee value of the exports was ₹21,829 crore. In terms of quantity, the exports had marginally fallen, from 7.21 lt in the corresponding period previously; but the rupee value was a big rise from ₹14,811 crore.