In order to prevent and control the spread of early mortality syndrome (EMS) at shrimp farms and hatcheries in India, the Kochi-headquartered Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) recently announced that shrimp aquaculture activities would take a temporary holiday, beginning the end of November.
However, after a number of seafood industry news websites (not this one!) and print publications got the dates wrong and misunderstood the duration of the shutdown, MPEDA Chairman Leena Nair was compelled to issue the following statement of clarification:
“There have been some misinterpretations in various print and electronic media with regard to the crop holiday mentioned as a measure being adopted in India to prevent and control the spread of EMS to India, which has been posted on the MPEDA website.
“It is hereby clarified that MPEDA, being the nodal agency for promotion of seafood exports from the country, has a vested interest in taking steps to protect the shrimp farming in the country so that the exports are sustained. In this connection a decision was taken, after wider consultation with all the stakeholders, that India must adopt stringent preventive measures to ensure that there are no aquaculture production losses due to disease.
“The aquaculture season in India is mainly between February until the end of October or early November. Instead of having culture in small pockets throughout the coastal states, it was felt that a uniform crop holiday will be observed by all the stakeholders for two to three months – from the end of November to early February – to ensure a complete dry out of ponds before taking up the next crop.
“It is unfortunate that some seafood business news websites have wrongly interpreted this as ‘MPEDA to halt all shrimp farming in India by end of February 2014.’ Hence it is further clarified and reiterated that MPEDA is not going to halt shrimp farming in India by end of February 2014. In fact the crop holiday from December 2013 to February 2014 is to be viewed as making preparation for a bumper crop in 2014.”
Frozen shrimp continued to be the major export value item for India last year, accounting for 51.35% of US $3,511.67 million in total earnings. Shrimp exports during the period increased by 20.88%, 18.73% and 3.56% in quantity, rupee value and US dollar value, respectively. There was steep drop in unit value realization of frozen shrimp, however, at 14.33%.
Meanwhile, the following actions have been authorized as India mobilizes to prevent the spread of EMS (also known as acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome), which has decimated shrimp production in other parts of Asia and elsewhere:
- Inspect and test all feeds, broodstock, nauplii, postlarvae and probiotics at hatcheries.
- Inspect and test shrimp from farms and peeling sheds.
- Inspect shrimp purchase, sale, transport and import documents at farms, hatcheries and peeling sheds.
- Confiscate and destroy shrimp when required at hatcheries farms and peeling sheds.
- Close hatcheries that source broodstock (Penaeus vannamei) from unapproved sources and destroy their broodstock.
- Close facilities that have not been approved to produce broodstock and destroy their broodstock.
- Disinfect contaminated water at hatcheries and farms.
- Enforce a crop holiday by all stakeholders. No ponds will be stocked and no seedstock will be produced after November 2013.
- Inspect specified zones from time to time.
