Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Minority Affairs, George Kurian, attended the 8th consecutive harvest of a new-age shrimp production system at CIBA’s Muttukadu Experimental Station near Chennai yesterday. He also launched a third shrimp crop insurance scheme. Heads of export and fisheries development organizations like Marine Products Export Development Authority, Coastal Aquaculture Authority, National Fisheries Development Board and Department of Fisheries along with representatives from the shrimp farming sector also attended the event.

The Minister urged the shrimp farming industry to adopt and scale up this innovative production system, which has the potential to steer Indian shrimp farming onto the right trajectory. Shrimp species cultivated under controlled conditions have been a proven commercial aquaculture model, contributing 70 per cent of seafood export earnings of up to 46,000 crore rupees.

However, profitability in shrimp farming has faced challenges due to production risks, including disease, rising production costs, and stagnant farm gate prices.

In response to these challenges, ICAR-CIBA has developed the Next Generation Super-Intensive Precision Shrimp Farming Technology, which integrates advanced technologies and expertise. He said, this innovative system is expected to revolutionize the shrimp farming sector, with the potential to produce 100-120 tonnes of shrimp per hectare annually across three crop cycles.