Vannamei On Farms Shortly

The species claimed to be resistant to many common diseases and also less expensive to produce, and India's producers are eager to produce it. They say it will improve their competitive edge on the global market.

According to The Hindu, his is to counter the Chinese threat to Indian export of black tiger and other shrimp varieties which are more expensive than Chinese shrimps on the international market. China, the leading producer of vannamei shrimp, has in the recent years dumped the vannamei in the United States and Japan, the two largest shrimp consumers in the world. The Chinese vannamei is sold almost at two-thirds of the price of Indian shrimps. This has dulled the price of Indian exports and shrunken the market.

Anvar Hashim, president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India, told The Hindu that the association had received information that the Union Ministry of Agriculture had completed all the formalities for allowing vannamei breeding and that a notification would be issued soon. However, G. Mohan Kumar, chairman of the Marine Products Exports Development Agency (MPEDA), said he was not aware of a final decision yet, though the formalities were at an advanced stage.