ISSN: 2287-6898
ISSN: 2287-6898
Author(s): Praveen Kumar Namburu, Sumanth Kumar Kunda
Aquaculture production in general and black tiger prawn (Penaeous monodon) (commonly called as shrimp) in particular, plays a pivotal role in developing the economy of India. The aquaculture sector has got enough capability to help increase the social and economic welfare by nourishing ever growing populations, make available new job opportunities and source of revenue, produce financial benefits that lessons paucity and receive foreign exchange. Among the maritime states, Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of shrimp production in the country (15,925 area ha). The incidence of WSSV and other diseases during early 1990’s had exposed the vulnerability of shrimp farming to different constraints and made the shrimp growers to fetch huge economic losses and since then received severe setback. In view of this backdrop, the present study was aimed to analyze the constraints and suggestions provided by shrimp growers of holding < 2 ha culture area. A case study was conducted at three districts viz Guntur, Krishna and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh, during the first crop of 2016. Thestudy area was selected purposively and the respondents were identified using simple random technique. The sample size for the current investigation was 210 and the proportionate sampling technique was employed for selection of respondents for each district. The interview schedule was conducted with the aid of well-structured and pre-tested questionnaire containing 12 items of constraints such as seed constraints, feed constraints, disease constraints, management constraints, input constraints, harvest constraints, post-harvest constraints, labour constraints, extension constraints, infrastructure constraints, marketing constraints, miscellaneous constraints. The farmers were also asked to suggest appropriate remedies/suggestions for improving better yieldsin shrimp farming. The data were analyzed using ‘Garett method of ranking’ for all the listed constraints and suggestions. The results followed that out of the total respondents surveyed 50 percent of the respondents NaCSA farmers and remaining 50 percentrespondents Non-NaCSA farmers. The results showed that NaCSA farmers rankings such as seed constraint (rank-1) was opted as the major constraint, followed by other constraints such as disease constraint (rank-2), feed constraint (rank-3), labour constraint (rank-4), management constraint (rank-5), input constraint (rank-6), harvest constraint (rank-7), post-harvest constraint (rank-8), extension constraint (ranking-9), infrastructure constraint (rank-10) marketing constraint (rank-11) and miscellaneous constraint (rank-12). Non-NaCSA farmers rankings such as seed constraint (rank-1), disease constraint (rank-2), management constraint (rank-3), feed constraint (rank-4), input constraint (rank-5), harvest constraint (rank-6), labour constraint (rank-7), post-harvest constraint (rank-8), extension constraint (ranking-9), infrastructure constraint (rank-10) marketing constraint (rank-11) and miscellaneous constraint (rank-12). The results pertained to suggestions provided by the P.monodonfarmers were presented in Tab. 4.25 and ranking was also provided to them based on the number of respondents offered for the same. The results showed that majority (94.5%, rank -1) farmers suggested that full time power supply to the monodon culture farms would fetch better yields. The other suggestions include fixed market price (77.7%,rank-II), insurance from government (69.3%, rank -III), supply of SPF seed (65.1%, rank -IV), technical advice from government (50.4%, rank-V), and awareness programmes and training programmes (37.8%, rank -VI), lab facility (46.2%, rank -VII). The present study conclude that the constraints as well as suggestions expressed by the shrimp growers reflect the current scenario at farm level and these would be considered as bench mark for making policy decisions and helpful for finding out appropriate solutions so as to bring back the past glory of the Peaneous mondon farming by adoption of implementation of Better Management Practices (BMP’s) as well as HACCP principles throughout the culture chain.