AMARAVATI — Aquaculture farmers across the coastal belt are facing a severe financial crisis as Vannamei shrimp prices have plummeted below the cost of production.
The sharp decline in market rates, coupled with an unprecedented rise in the cost of feed, electricity, and seed, has pushed thousands of shrimp cultivators into deep debt.
Growers report that processing exporters are artificially depressing purchase rates, leaving them with no choice but to sell at a loss or abandon their ponds entirely.
The economics of shrimp farming have turned completely unviable over the last few months. Cultivators spend roughly ₹320 to produce one kilogram of 100-count shrimp, but the current market offer stands at just ₹240 per kilogram.
This leaves a deficit of ₹80 per kilogram, forcing small and medium scale farmers to incur losses running into lakhs of rupees per acre. Meanwhile, feed companies have raised prices by nearly 20 percent, citing global supply chain disruptions in fishmeal and soybean imports.