Shrimp farming within the coastal area is widespread. But landlocked Haryana within the northern a part of the nation too is quick rising as a State that’s providing farmers, dealing with low productiveness on account of salinity, a worthwhile various in shrimp tradition. Despite its dependence on Southern and Eastern States for sourcing of seeds, feed and export, the revenue has risen ten occasions for the farmers.
“The net return from one acre in growing two crops a year was ₹40,000-50,000 provided the prices and weather were all favourable. From one shrimp crop a year, the profit is between ₹4 lakh and ₹5 lakh,” mentioned Gurdeep Singh, 47, of Bangu village in Sirsa district, the highest producer in Haryana, contributing half of the State’s shrimp manufacturing.
Singh, now into his third 12 months in shrimp (prawn) farming, has 5 ponds of 1 acre every. He needs to broaden the realm at a later stage because it requires loads of caring and even having some technical data from the farmer’s half to achieve success. Singh, who began off with two acres, has motivated farmers in surrounding areas a lot that 100 acres have been introduced beneath shrimp farming throughout 2022-23. Even farmers from adjoining districts of Rajasthan and Punjab are coming there to take up shrimp farming in leased land.
The value of land beneath lease for 10 years, with provision to extend it by 5 per cent yearly, is now ₹40,000-50,000 per acre, similar as was for basmati rice in Sonepat district in Haryana.
“For 15 acres, I had paid ₹3 lakh as lease rent a few years back and now it is not available below ₹13 lakh,” mentioned Darshan Singh, one other farmer of Raghuana village in similar district who’s now doing the shrimp farming in 66 acres, out of which solely 5 acres are his personal land. He mentioned if the pond measurement is greater than an acre, he takes one crop as there’s the problem of getting expert labour.
Multifold enhance in land
Before August 2020, when Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) was launched, Sirsa had solely 26 acres beneath shrimp. Now the realm has reached to over 1,200 acres. Under the scheme, farmers get 40 per cent subsidy from the venture value mounted at ₹14 lakh per hectare, which incorporates ₹8 lakh for infrastructure improvement and ₹6 lakh for enter prices. The subsidy is 50 per cent within the case of SC/ST and girls farmers.
“It is not the subsidy alone that motivated us, but the support from the local officials that helped us to take this risk,” Darshan mentioned, including the subsidy was even increased at 50 per cent and the venture value was additionally ₹25 lakh beneath some earlier schemes.
The district fishery officer in Sirsa, Jagdish Chandra, has helped the farmers so much, apart from motivating them.
“There are three types of land here. One where the groundwater is saline and the agriculture crop is not suitable to give normal yield. Second is some wet lands which are left barren as no crop can be taken and third is desert land which has little scope of water retaining capacity,” Chandra mentioned. Laying a layer of polythene sheet in every pond in each moist land and desert land has helped farmers to develop shrimp, he mentioned and admitted that it’s an additional value which must be met each 5-6 years.
Issues
Interestingly, farmers will not be complaining about something besides electrical energy invoice and insurance coverage. Currently they pay electrical energy at ₹4.75/unit which they really feel needs to be round ₹2/unit. Besides, they need protection beneath Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
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Shrimp farmers mentioned that aside from state authorities, additionally they get technical help from seed firms, largely hatcheries in southern India, by way of their native representatives. As shrimp seeds attain Delhi by way of air cargo after which instantly transported to the location by van, farmers plan it such that they will put the seeds within the pond in early morning or most earlier than 7 am.
“It is a known fact that shrimp farming can happen either in marine or freshwater environment. But the growth in Haryana proves that it can also be done successfully in non-coastal saline land,” mentioned Chandra.
