“As the State has a 974-km coastline and scope for increasing production of shrimp, shellfish and other exotic species, international traders are coming forward to invest in farming, processing and export units,” Mr Naik said.
He also asked Fisheries Department officials to help farmers prevent diseases to produce quality shrimp, reports TheHindu.
Mr Naik was inaugurating a State-level workshop on ‘shrimp disease surveillance and capacity building measures’ for Fisheries officials here on Thursday.
Officials of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), Chennai; National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA), Kakinada, and the Central Aquaculture Pathology Lab (CAPL), Sirkali, spoke of disease surveillance and remedial measures on the occasion. Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Deputy Director S. Kandan chaired the workshop.
RGCA All India Project Director Y.C. Thampi Sam Raj said of the total $ 5.51 billion aqua exports from India, aqua products worth $ 3.5 billion are from cultured scampi and 80 per cent of shrimp production arrived from Andhra Pradesh during 2014-15 financial year.
