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Problems faced by Indian aquaculture units in early 1990s

Shrimp aquaculture operations had started on the East Coast of India,

around 1990. The variety cultivated was mostly Black Tiger, which was

the variety in demand in international markets.The activity was so

profitable that large areas of paddy (rice) fields were converted to salt

water shrimp aquaculture. The production from the farms was raw

material for a (mostly) thriving industry exporting frozen shrimp to USA,

Japan and Europe.

In 1994, an unidentified viral disease started attacking the shrimp farms

in North lndia and many parts of Andhra Pradesh, which is the leading

state in India for Aquaculture Development. The disease was called white

spot disease and resulted in sudden mortality of the shrimps, resulting in

heavy financial loss. The farmers were not in a position to control the viral

attack due to lack of experience and non-availability of expert advice. The

farms had also been developed haphazardly, without thought being given

to good practices or for the sustainability of the industry. The disease

spread very fast to the rest of the aqua farms in the country and the entire

country was affected in two months from first sighting the problem.

MPEDA, the nodal agency for development of Aquaculture in the country,

also was not in a position to advise the farmers correctly and counter the

viral attack. As part of the attempts to contain the disease, MPEDA

declared a crop holiday for six months from March 1995. Farmers were

advised to keep the farm dry and exposed to sunlight.

Due to the Crop holiday declared by MPEDA, the farms did not go for a

crop till October 1995.

Meanwhile, aquaculture experts were invited from abroad to find a

solution or the problem. Experts from Thailand. Taiwan and Indonesia

were brought to India for studying the situation. The experts visited the

farms in Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu and suggested application of

vitamins, probiotics and irnmunostimulants to increase the immunity of the

animals in order to fight the viral attack. They also suggested certain

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changes in the design of the farm. These medicines and modifications

were very costly and increased the expenditure of farming by ten to fifteen

percent. Some farmers, as per the expert advise further invested in the

farm for changing the water intake system to a semi closed one by

building a large reservoir to store and disinfect the water before filling the

ponds. After the modification the farmers went for a new crop in October

-November 1995. Even after the modifications and the importing of

immunostimulants and other expensive medicines the second crop was

destroyed by viral attack.

Meanwhile, public interest litigations had been filed against salt water

aquaculture, alleging that it polluted the coastal aquifers. The High Court

of Madras, in October 1996, ordered the closure of all Aqua Farms in

Tamil Nadu with immediate effect and asked the District Government

authorities to file compliance with in a weeks time. The order was kept in

suspense by the same bench since the Supreme Court of India was

hearing a similar case. The Supreme Court came out with its verdict,

which ordered the demolition of all farms within the Coastal Regulation

Zone before March 31, 1997. It further ordered the companies to pay

compensation to the workers at the rate of six years salary computed on

the basis of the salary last drawn by the employees.

The farms could not continue the aquaculture activity due to the Supreme

Court ban. Since then the farms were lying idle without creating any

income for the farmers. The farms being on the seashore, the rate of

corrosion is very high for the machinery like pumps, generator sets,

aerators, and pipes etc.

The workers in the farms who were in different unions, demanded

compensation as per the Supreme Court order and started agitating. They

turned violent and resorted to destruction of the properties of the farms.

The problems faced by the farms are summarised hereunder.

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a. Virus disease affecting the aquaculture farms all along the East Coast.

b. Order of the Supreme Court to ban aquaculture in Coastal Regulation

Zone.

c. Labour problems at the farms.

Coastal Aquaculture in India has revived after establishment of a

statutory body, Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India, who regulate

aquaculture and have enabled it to revive, in a healthy manner.